Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel and the Minister of Culture Krastyo Krastev have signed a strategic agreement to improve the activities of the Bulgarian Cultural Institutes abroad.

 "With the agreement, we confirm the role of the Bulgarian cultural institutes as an integral part of the institutions through which Bulgarian foreign policy is carried out. This is an important message about the key role of cultural diplomacy in foreign policy," Minister Gabriel said. The agreement provides for the preparation of programs for activities abroad as the calendar will be linked to foreign policy priorities in the field of culture. Steps will also be made to update the bilateral international agreements under which the Bulgarian cultural institutes were established.