From 12 to 17 January, the Union of Bulgarian Journalists (UBJ) is hosting a meeting with a delegation from the town of Mudanya, region of Bursa, in neighboring Turkey.

Details from Yaşar Gerçekçi, chairman of the Association of Journalists of Mudanya:

"With the Union of Bulgarian Journalists we are partners in the project entitled "Adaptation of the Turkish media to the requirements of the EU". It is part of the grant program called "Civil Society Dialogue" signed between the EU and Turkey. This is our first visit to Bulgaria and our first common event. The delegation includes journalists, NGO representatives, members of the Municipal Council and the Chairman of the City Council. Our goal is to meet fellow journalists, to get closely acquainted with Bulgarian media and the culture of your country. The second important point in the project is the creation of a documentary that will focus on paper headlines in Bulgaria before and after Bulgaria’s accession to the EU. The film will be presented in Bulgaria and Turkey. What our colleagues greeted with astonishment was the fact that regional media exist without the support of the state and municipalities. With us, things are different. Much of the newspapers in Turkey support the government and society remains convinced that one cannot publish a newspaper or a magazine if there is no financial help from the state or municipalities. That was the first thing that caught our attention. I want us to transpose this independence of the Bulgarian media in Turkey. Under the second phase of the project fellow journalists will visit the headquarters of Reuters in London in order to raise their professional qualification. I would like to thank our colleagues from the Union of Bulgarian Journalists for their hospitality and rich cultural program."

The President of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists, Snezana Todorova, said for Radio Bulgaria:

"The theme of the project won by our colleagues from the Association of Journalists of Mudanya is related to the adaptation of the Turkish media to EU requirements. We are delighted that they have chosen a partner from Bulgaria and it is precisely the Union of Bulgarian Journalists. We hope that their visit to Bulgaria would be successful and that this will be the beginning of our relationship with this young journalistic association. I sincerely believe that it will contribute to the better understanding and good relations between Bulgaria and Turkey. We must work for the development of good relations, moreover, that there is a Turkish minority in our country, with which we have coexisted for hundreds of years."

The Turkish journalists showed great interest in the topic of freedom of speech in Bulgaria. How can this country be an example in this regard – the opinion of Snezhana Todorova.

"As you know, it was before the democratic changes of 1989 that there was a very interesting and authoritative edition – Narodna Kultura, People’s Culture, under the title of which there was an inscription " Freedom of speech is the mother of all freedoms". Freedom of speech is a fundamental principle of any democratic society and is essential for journalists in a country. During these 25 years The Union of Bulgarian Journalists shows commitment to democratic values and defends their right to independence. We were not convenient to any power because we subject to criticism some of its decisions and actions. But this is our dignity. For true journalism is primarily independent. The Union of Bulgarian Journalists is working on a document for the protection of journalism, because we believe that fellow journalists in the country are not sufficiently protected. They should not be subject to or dependent on the will of their employers and the owner of the media. It is now a pressing issue because most of the media in this country are in private hands."

English Rossitsa Petcova