A restored memorial plaque featuring a bas-relief of Romania's national poet Mihai Eminescu was unveiled on Monday in front of the Romanian Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria's BTA national news agency reports.

The ceremony was attended by Romania's ambassador to Bulgaria Brandusa Predescu, Moldovan ambassador Emil Jacota, Sofia's deputy mayor for culture and tourism Irina Dakova, Slatina district mayor Gheorghi Iliev, diplomats and official guests.

Ambassador Predescu said that the event coincided with the commemoration of the death of Eminescu, who is honoured as the national poet of both Romania and the Republic of Moldova.



The diplomat mentioned that the memorial plaque was crafted in Romania and donated to the Sofia municipality 26 years ago, and that its restoration was carried out by the Sofia City Hall and the Slatina district, where the Romanian Embassy is located. The boulevard on which the embassy stands also bears Eminescu's name, Predescu added.

The ambassador thanked the Sofia authorities for completing the restoration in record time, in cooperation with the Romanian side and with full funding provided by the Bulgarian partners. She also extended special congratulations to Romanian-language teachers and lecturers in Sofia, some of whom attended the event, as well as to the director of the Romanian-language high school, which also bears Eminescu's name.

'Several projects dedicated to our nation's great poet, Mihai Eminescu, are underway in Sofia,' said Moldovan ambassador Emil Jacota, expressing hope that such initiatives would multiply. He suggested that Sofia could one day host a bust of Eminescu, and that the new metro station under construction nearby might bear his name.

Sofia's deputy mayor for culture and tourism, Irina Dakova, emphasized that the event was important not only for bilateral relations, but also for cultural diplomacy, which the municipality has consistently supported.

'What better link exists between peoples than culture? Poetry touches every person's heart,' said Slatina district mayor Gheorghi Iliev, adding that he was pleased 'to have a new place where we can tell this story to our children'.

Mihai Eminescu (1850 - 1889) is regarded as the most influential and celebrated poet in Romanian literature. A central figure of Romanticism, his work blends philosophical, mythological and folkloric themes. His best-known creation is Luceafarul (The Evening Star), considered a masterpiece of Romanian literature. In addition to poetry, he wrote prose, journalism and philosophical texts. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Simona Tatu; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)

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