On July 2, 2025, a public lecture-discussion on the topic “Greece's culture is far more than the Acropolis” took place in the Acad. Ivan Geshov Hall of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. It was held in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Greece in Bulgaria and is part of the series of events dedicated to cultural diplomacy in the Balkans, organized by the Institute of Balkan Studies & Centre of Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBSCT-BAS) in institutional partnership with the State Institute for Culture to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (DKI). The initiative is implemented under the Project “Cultural diplomacy in the Balkans in the 20th and 21st centuries: Achievements, challenges, and the way forward”, funded by the Bulgarian National Science Fund of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria.
The public lecture-discussion was opened by the Project Manager Assist. Prof. Dr. Alexandra Milanova, Scientific Coordinator of the IBSCT-BAS. The attendees were welcomed by Prof. Dr. Roumiana Preshlenova, Director of the IBSCT-BAS, and Ms. Snezhana Yoveva-Dimitrova, Director of DKI.
The speaker at the event was H.E. Alexios Marios Liberopoulos, Ambassador of the Republic of Greece to Bulgaria. He introduced the attendees to the main aspects of Greek culture beyond the well-known symbols, briefly presented the contemporary cultural policy and diplomacy of Greece, as well as the country's participation in international cultural exchange, including within the framework of UNESCO. The lively discussion that followed touched on various topics related to scientific and university cooperation, tourism, the relationship between culture and security, and many others.
Special guest was H.E. Joël Meyer, Ambassador of the Republic of France to Bulgaria. The event was attended by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mario Ivanov, Scientific Secretary of Division 8 "Cultural-Historical Heritage and National Identity", Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mariana Tian, Scientific Secretary of Division 9 "Man and Society", Assoc. Prof. Dr. Albena Taneva, Head of the Department of Public Administration at the Faculty of Philosophy of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", journalists from the Bulgarian National Radio, representatives of the cultural sector, scholars, university professors, doctoral candidates, and students.
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