The 14^th world meeting of Bulgarian media opened in Skopje under the motto “Media and Memory”. The forum is organized by the Bulgarian news agency BTA and the Association of Bulgarian Media Abroad. Journalists from more than 50 Bulgarian media outlets in over 25 countries of all continents are taking part in the forum.

The participants include Bulgarian National Radio Director General Alexander Velev and Programme Director Martin Minkov, BNR correspondent in Macedonia for many years. At the opening of the forum, BTA Director General Maxim Minchev stated that the capital of Macedonia was selected to host this year’s forum because the Western Balkans were in the focus of attention of Bulgaria’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. He expressed the hope that the discussions would focus on the fundamental problems facing journalism – fake news, journalism and propaganda, the link between journalists and the political class, political dependencies.

An address by Bulgarian Vice-President Iliana Iotova was read out, in which she notes that the 14 meetings have moulded Bulgarian media around the world into a community. 

Long-time correspondent Kostadin Filipov laid emphasis on the fact that no Bulgarian media outlet has had a correspondent in Macedonia since 2011, nor is there any media outlet in the Bulgarian language, or published by Bulgarians, despite assertions that the country is of primary interest to Bulgaria. Petar Haralampiev, chairman of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad commented that the Bulgarian state owes a huge debt to the Bulgarian community abroad.