Istanbul

Madame Director General of UNESCO,
Distinguished Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Above all, I would like to thank our hosts, and President Gül in person, for their warm hospitality and the excellent conditions provided for the holding of the present Eighth Regional Forum.

I am confident that all of us present in this hall, understand the symbolism of the venue chosen for today’s meeting, because to all the peoples of the South-East of Europe, the city on the Bosphorus is the place strongly linked to our history as well as our culture. But the forum at which we are gathered once again is by itself symbolic, as it no doubt constitutes a major tool for the development of this region, for building its new outlook, for its new social and economic upsurge.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

If we look back we shall see that since 2003 this project of ours has blazed a trail via different cities and countries, where we have discussed different subjects. This has been our goal: together to choose the milestones and signposts marking a common space. A space that enables the combination of various traditions, beliefs and skills, while providing conditions for their preservation, revival and development.

The theme of today’s Forum, ‘Music as a Metaphor of Intercultural Dialog’, is also a symbolic expression of the qualitatively new level of cultural exchange in the region. Such a choice of subject corresponds to our aspiration to communicate fully and without barriers, and to the sense of seeking roads which, just like sounds, know no barriers.

It is a commendable fact that a number of joint projects have been completed in the sphere of music. A good case in point is the successfully realized project on ‘Traditional cultures and live music forms of the population in the Strandja Region on both sides of the border’, initiated by the National UNESCO Commissions for Turkey and Bulgaria.

At the same time, we are deeply convinced that the Sofia-based Regional Center for Cooperation in the Sphere of the Intangible Heritage, established under UNESCO auspices, will likewise become a catalyst for other joint initiatives for the study and promotion of the Balkan folk music heritage.

We could even consider a joint entry of ‘The Wealth of Balkan Folk Music’, to be submitted for inclusion on the Representative UNESCO List of the Intangible Heritage. Because music has invariably been a very important part of the Balkan cultural identity, while the magic of Balkan rhythms, voices and melodies that issue from the depth of Balkan tradition is indubitably a major contribution to the musical culture of Europe and the world, not to mention that we even have songs that are sung in different languages but to the same tune. What better example of the preservation of multiculturalism, what stronger metaphor of our cultural closeness!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

What we have aspired for at our fora, and I have personally emphasized in my statements at them, is the need for us to be as pragmatic and result-oriented as possible in the pursuit of our goals.

Therefore, I would like to go back to our idea of setting up a joint youth network, which we tentatively named ‘Heritage Academy’. In 2008 and 2009, I presented this idea and it was subsequently discussed at expert level. Recently the idea was supported in Montenegro at the Meeting of Ministers of Culture, and was commended by the representatives of the Council of Europe. I believe that the adoption of a final document, supported by UNESCO and the Council of Europe, that would help us realize this initiative, with the active involvement of all countries, would be an important achievement. In our view, such a document should incorporate not just ideas concerning the preservation of the cultural and historical heritage, but we should also develop a model of possible interaction in other spheres as well: cultural policy at a local level, cooperation between museums and related institutions, cross-border applications for entry onto the UNESCO List. I am confident of UNESCO’s support for the drafting of such a document, as well as of the necessary assistance on the part of experts from all states participants in this forum.

Dear colleagues,

I am happy that today we have among us the Director General of UNESCO Mrs. Bokova. Her election brings us much satısfaction, because in addition to constituting recognition of her own merits as a person, politician and diplomat, this is also a tribute to Bulgaria. At the same time I believe that this electıon is of major importance for the entire region, as I am sure that Mrs. Bokova will manage to contribute to that prestigious international organization the spirit, diversity and tolerance of the community where she was born and raised.

In conclusion, I would like yet again to share my understanding that the passing of that diversity and millennia-old preserved past on to the future generations is not just our duty as politicians; it is also our response to the wishes and aspirations of the millions of people living from the Adriatic, the Danube and the Carpathian Range all the way to the Black Sea, the Bosphorus and the Peloponnesus. And perhaps in this way we will manage to realize the prophetic words attributed to the greatest singer, poet and musician of antiquity, the mythical Orpheus, who once lived in these lands of ours: ‘The world can be conquered by the lyre, not by the sword.’