Skopje, May 18 (BTA) - Various cultural functions, some involving visiting Bulgarian artists, will be held in Macedonia this year to mark for the first time May 24, the Day of Slav Letters and Bulgarian Culture.

 

The Days of Bulgarian Culture event, organized by the Bulgarian Embassy here, opened officially on Saturday and will run through May 24.

 

An exhibition of Bulgarian artists will open May 18 at the Momir gallery in Ohrid. An exhibition of contemporary Bulgarian film posters mottoed "From A to Z" will open on May 22 at the Cultural and Information Center in Skopje.

 

The centerpiece event will be held on May 20 at the Army Home in Skopje.

 

Bulgarian Ambassador here Alexander Yordanov will decorate with honorary badges of the Bulgarian Culture Ministry Macedonian intellectuals and artists who have contributed to the development of bilateral cultural ties.

 

Dupnitsa-based Bulgarian folk ensemble Balkanpharma will stage a concert in the border town of Kriva Palanka on May 22.

 

Bulgarian children will exhibit drawings at the traditional international review in Bitolya.

 

A wreath-laying ceremony is planned to be held May 24 at the SS Cyril and Methoduis monument in Ohrid. Some 50 Bulgarian scouts from the Pernik region will be among the participants.

 

 

 

Sofia, May 18 (BTA) - The government decided to increase from 27,000 to 50,000 dollars the annual budget allocation for the upkeep of Bulgarian cultural and historic monuments in Turkey. The money is released from the budget of the Foreign Ministry every year and used by the Bulgaria Orthodox Church and the church board in Istanbul to cover expenses for the maintenance of church properties in the Turkish capital and in Edrine. However, funding has been sparse in the last couple of years, falling short of maintenance cost estimates. The 12-18,000 dollar shortage for each of the years after 1996 was offset by donations from board members.