/ world today news/ The Deputy Mayor of Veliko Tarnovo Neiko Genchev will represent Bulgaria at the Forum of Mayors during the Third China-CEE International Exhibition. The theme of the third edition is “Deepening practical cooperation towards the future”, and within the framework of the Bulgarian participation, a ten-member delegation of representatives of the tourism sector and organized by the KCC in Sofia, with the support of the Ministry of Tourism, will present Bulgaria’s opportunities as interesting and prestigious tourist destination and will take part in several specialized international forums.
Immediately before the departure of the delegation, the deputy mayor of Veliko Tarnovo answered several questions, especially about KMG. “This exhibition is one of the most important events in the context of expanding cooperation between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, an exhibition that is held after a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic situation. And that is why the expectations from it are not small – both for Bulgaria and the rest of the CEE countries, as well as for China”, he is categorical, and explains that an essential element of the third edition of the expo in Ningbo is the holding of several specialized forums. The Bulgarian representatives of the tourist business will participate in the Tourist Forum and will present the possibilities of the country as a tourist destination and the various sights that can be visited. There will be a special online welcome from the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Bulgaria, and many documentaries about the country will be presented. There will also be a special panel related to the 10-year anniversary of the “One Belt, One Road” megaproject, the deputy mayor also said. But, as a very important initiative during the exhibition, he identified the Forum of Mayors, under the title “The Green City – Our Future”, in which one mayor from each CEE country, as well as several Chinese cities, will participate. Good practices and experience will be exchanged, primarily in the field of ecology and “green energy”, in the creation and use of which China is a champion. Neiko Genchev is the only Bulgarian participant in this forum, as a representative of the Bulgarian mayors.
Question: Mr. Genchev, what do you expect from your visit to the Third Trade Fair in the city of Ningbo, what is your participation and what will you present, as deputy mayor of one of the most interesting and picturesque Bulgarian cities?
N. Genchev: The main purpose of my participation in the delegation for the city of Ningbo is the holding of the Forum of Mayors from CEE countries and China, which will be held within the framework of the exhibition. The forum is organized by the China Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Ningbo Municipal People’s Government. Participation has been confirmed by the mayors of 12 Central and Eastern European countries. and also from various Chinese cities. The theme of the forum this year is “The Green City – Our Future”. It is the greener, low-carbon sustainable future of cities around the world that is a common aspiration of all, of course we combine this with socio-economic growth, but it is one of our priorities to preserve the future of our cities .
Each of the participants will present the experience of his country, the actions in this direction and good practices, as well as the existing problems and challenges. We will also look for opportunities to reach some common solutions and discuss best and win-win practices for joint action in this direction. We will also seek common solutions on the issues of how we deal with climate change.
We have witnessed that China has emerged as the leading country in this field. On the so-called It took “developed countries” a century to move away from coal-fired power, for example, and in the last decade China has created 4 million “green” jobs, 1/3 of the world’s. And from a country that had almost no renewable energy sources 10-12 years ago, China is now the leading nation in renewable projects. The price of batteries for electric cars – we know they are made in China – has decreased by 87%, and aviation energy – by 50%, in just 10 years. This means that China plays an extremely important role in reducing the global cost of producing “clean” energy. Years ago, the myth was spread that China is the most polluted country, with the most “smokers”, but now China is the leading civilization in terms of a clean and ecological environment. Moreover, in China this is a state policy that is implemented very decisively, stepping on a “green” legislation. As early as 2007, the concept of ecological civilization was proposed, with “green rhetoric” guiding Chinese politics. They have over 1000 documents related to this new type of energy, there is and is a Ministry of Ecology, but they also have a National Commission that monitors the reforms in this development.
Since 2017, President Xi Jinping has presented the fight against pollution as a Strategy, with a legal and policy framework, with a number of low-carbon urbanization initiatives. There, they act extremely responsibly and decisively in this direction, and perhaps China is the only country in the world that really carries out such a policy, no matter how much some people don’t like it…
Because – both Europeans and Americans talk more than act in this direction and we do little real things or they are quite chaotic. In China, a civilization is developing with very specific measures, with the priority of “clean” energy, clean air, and a clean environment for the benefit of society. For example, I was in Beijing three years ago, and I saw that absolutely all motorcycles have electric motors, and more than half of cars are already electric, and in 5-6 years they will become 100%.
In this sense, the Forum of Mayors from China and CEE emerges as extremely important and interesting, because we will see who has gone where in promoting this ecological, low-carbon economic system. . The great transformation of local economies will also be discussed, which is very important,
Question: What specifically will you present as deputy mayor of Veliko Tarnovo during this forum?
N. Genchev: Veliko Tarnovo is a very special city, it is unique both in terms of nature, landscape, and historical landmarks, architecture and cultural-historical heritage – I can say quite responsibly that within Europe, Veliko Tarnovo is the city with we have the largest cultural and historical heritage – about 1,500 monuments and immovable cultural values, compared to other countries. And I will present precisely the possibilities of our city as a tourist destination. But this also creates certain problems, especially from an environmental point of view, because, for example, in a historical settlement, air conditioners of the ordinary type cannot be installed. And in this sense, we will look for solutions for cooperation with China – we already have an agreement with a Chinese consortium, they came and saw exactly what they can help us with. I will also present Veliko Tarnovo as a tourist destination, within the framework of the exhibition itself, as Bulgaria will have its own stand and will be well represented. The forum is part of the exhibition, it will take place on May 17 and there will be one mayor from each country who will represent the whole country. And because Veliko Tarnovo is a historical landmark and a unique city, I think that I will attract the interest of Chinese colleagues and colleagues from other countries who will participate in the exhibition.
Question: Finally, could you tell us more about the upcoming Asian Culture Festival in Veliko Tarnovo, which will take place on May 19 and 20 this year? What is planned, what kind of guests are you expecting, who is organizing it?
N. Genchev: The municipality of Veliko Tarnovo is twinned with the Chinese city of Xi’an, and although due to the anti-epidemic situation due to COVID-19 our cooperation was “dead” to a certain extent, now we are starting again and with new forces to act on joint initiatives. So far, our cooperation with Xi’an has been very good, we have exchanged delegations, participated in joint seminars and festivals and other cultural initiatives. As the “most recent” example, I can give the upcoming one on May 19 and 20 this year. in our city a Festival of Asian Culture, in which representatives of various dance and singing groups and artists will take part mainly from China, although there will also be some from other Asian countries. But I want to go back a little – three years ago, just before the pandemic, Veliko Tarnovo was the center of the First Festival of Chinese Culture and Art. It was the first European festival of Chinese culture and was met with great interest, with guests from other countries also present. I emphasize that then the festival was only about the art and culture of China! Now, in May of this year in the new format – Festival of Asian Art – in addition to China, Korea and Japan will also participate. This event is organized jointly with the University of Veliko Tarnovo and the Confucius Institute, and our guests will represent the countries whose languages are studied at our university. We anticipate a serious and diverse program and great interest not only from Bulgaria, but also from a number of other countries.
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