Bulgaria to Host Bureau of Francophonie Universities Association

Bulgaria's capital Sofia will host a Bureau of the Association of Universities of the Francophonie, according to an agreement signed Monday by Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov and Professor Bernard Cerquiglini, Executive Director of the Association.

The future Sofia Bureau of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (in English - Association of Universities of the Francophonie), will assist and co-ordinate co-operation in Southeastern Europe in the field of Francophone education at university level, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said.

"The longstanding collaboration with the International Organization of La Francophonie has taken a further step," Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov stated after he signed the agreement.

Mladenov pointed to the longstanding traditions and strength of Francophone education in Bulgaria, the result of the efforts of an entire community.

He expressed the hope that next year more students from third countries would be trained in Francophone fields in Bulgarian universities thanks to the new regional center.

Professor Bernard Cerquiglini, Executive Director of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, welcomed the signing of the agreement, the result of strenuous efforts by the Foreign Ministry and the Bulgarian academic community, the Bulgarian government press service reported.

Professor Cerquiglini said that the agreement would enable the dissemination of best practices in teaching of the French language, in the development of human resources and in the mobility of students and teachers.

The signing ceremony was attended by ambassadors and diplomats from the embassies of the member countries of the International Organization of La Francophonie, presidents and professors from Bulgarian universities.

Originally founded in Montreal, Canada in 1961 as the Association des Universit?s Partiellement ou Enti?rement de Langue Francaise, the AUF is a multilateral institution that supports co-operation and solidarity between French-speaking university institutions.

It operates in the French-speaking countries of the African continent, the Arab world, the Southeast Asian region, Central and Eastern Europe and the Caribbean.

The AUF has 774 members (public and private universities, institutes of higher education, research centers and institutions, institutional networks, and networks of university administrators) that are distributed throughout the countries of the Francophonie.

The AUF is currently present in 91 countries, represented by its regional offices, information access centers, campuses and institutes.

The Association receives funding from La Francophonie and its headquarters are located at the University of Montreal in Montreal.

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