Moldova and France will sign an agreement of cooperation in the area of heritage. The goal of the accord is to protect and restore the cultural monuments in Moldova, first counselor of the Embassy of France in Chisinau Jeremie Petit announced in a news conference at IPN. According to him, the signing of the accord will precede a Moldovan-French forum on urbanism.
Jeremie Petit said the cooperation agreement envisions the organization of experience exchange between the two sides and programs of cooperation between France and Moldova. “In particular, it refers to the formation of capacities, visits and bilateral projects,” said the counselor. According to him, after the accord is signed, the head of the International Relations Division of the Ministry of Culture and Communications of France Bruno Favel will come to Chisinau to draw up a plan of actions for implementing the agreement.
The accord will be signed within the Forum of Urbanism and Sustainable Development of Chisinau that will take place on April 18-19. The event will take place in the context of the International Day for Monuments and Sites that is marked on April 18. According to the first counselor of the Embassy of France, the event will be organized in concert with the Chisinau City Hall and the Agency for Monument Inspection and Restoration. During two days, the participants in the forum wil discuss the protected cultural heritage, the laying out of areas, local sustainable development and urban planning.
Agency for Monument Inspection and Restoration director Ion Stefanita said he wants this forum to be a step towards sustainable urbanism. “This forum will end with a statement, a commitment by the local authorities to ensure further urban planning,” he stated.
Within the forum, there will be announced the winners of the national contest for the best spatial-urban conception for two areas of Chisinau – the protected area on 31 august 1989 St, between the streets Maria Cebotari and Alexandru Pushkin, and the protected area near the Circus and Renasterii Blvd. The projects of all the participants will be presented and a joint Moldovan-French commission will then choose three winners.
Member of the Civic Group for Cultural Heritage Alexandru Corduneanu said the Embassy of France’s readiness to help solve problems related to heritage and urbanism is impressive. The problem of urbanism in Chisinau started to be discussed only in 2006. Before then the cultural heritage witnessed vertiginous degradation. During several years, there were destroyed over 80 cultural monuments.
