The Ministry of Education and Science will continue to invest in scientific infrastructure related to polar research, Bulgaria's Acting Deputy Minister of Culture Nikolay Vitanov said on Tuesday during an international conference on Antarctic research and development policies in Sofia, organized by National Center for Polar Studies (NCPS) and the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute (BAI).

The forum was attended by the general director of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Kiril Valchev and the general director of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) Milen Mitev, as well as the rector of Sofia University Georgi Valchev, representatives of foreign embassies in Bulgaria, representatives of BAI, NCPS, members of organizations and institutes related to the study of Antarctica.

The work of Antarctic scientists "is a testament to the potential of science to create an island between nations, institutions and generations," Vitanov said.

"Beyond the purely scientific dimensions, today's conference demonstrates several important things - first, of course, that the time of single exploratory discoveries will increasingly be left behind. The great figures in science are being replaced by teams of leading scientists from countries different, and the work of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute at the University of Sofia shows beautifully that this should be the way of the future together with our partners from the European Union and other countries that are part of the Antarctic Treaty, we should try to we preserve this continent as a place where human activity does not make its mark so strongly and a place where science should prevail over everything else", said the rector of Sofia University.

"It is essential that our society understands that what we are doing in Antarctica does not satisfy our scientific curiosity. This is a research that is needed by all of humanity and it cannot be done without coordination and cooperation between countries, as above all by Europeans. The union, with joint programs, this should be strengthened more and more in the future, but of course also with countries from other continents - for example, without the cooperation of Argentina, Bulgaria would have had difficulties in its preparation. The 33rd Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition", said the head of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute (BAI), Kristo Pimpirev.

The President of the World Meteorological Organization of the United Nations, Abdulla Al Mondous, noted that changes in ice masses and in the ocean are widespread and affect all countries.

He emphasized the high commitment of the Bulgarian government authorities to Antarctic issues through BAI activities and the establishment and maintenance of the Bulgarian Antarctic base and called for increased international cooperation. /BTA