/ world today news/ At a working meeting today at “Dondukov” 2, Vice President Iliana Yotova and Executive Director of the Japan-Bulgaria Association for Friendship and Cultural Relations Akiko Igaya discussed the bilateral economic and cultural cooperation between Bulgaria and Japan, the press office of the president announced.
“Bulgaria and Japan have great potential for the development of economic relations within the EU, as well as bilateral relations between Sofia and Tokyo,” the vice president emphasized. For her part, Akiko Igaya stated that for small and medium enterprises from Japan, Bulgaria is a gateway to Europe.
During the meeting, the project to build a Japanese center “Kizuna” in Sofia was also discussed. Iliana Yotova stated that the combination of cultural and business exchange in one place is a wonderful initiative. “In this troubled and dangerous world, we need to educate our children to respect different cultures, and this will be one of the essential contributions of the Kizuna center,” added the vice president.
Akiko Igaya specified that the future Japanese center in the Bulgarian capital should be ready in 2019, when three important anniversaries are celebrated – 110 years since the establishment of relations between the Bulgarian royal and Japanese imperial families, 80 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Bulgaria and 60 years since their restoration. She added that there is already a decision of the Metropolitan Municipal Council, as well as a designated place for the center and the signing of an agreement for its construction is expected.
The vice-president assessed the program for the realization of the center as ambitious and realistic and emphasized the need for a structured campaign to popularize “Kizuna” in Bulgarian schools. Iliana Yotova stressed that the future center will provide an opportunity for students to study the Japanese language and culture.
The Bulgarian vice-president received an invitation to head an initiative committee, which would include one representative from all the institutions that were supported with free donations from the island country. The ambition of the organizers is to have a representative of the Imperial Family of Japan present at the opening of the future Japanese center in the city of Sofia.
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