Publishing houses from 18 countries brought their book in Chisinau at the 21st edition of the International Book Salon, dedicated to the 180th anniversary of the National Library of Moldova. About 5000 books await their readers on the library shelves. Visitors will also have the chance to attend various seminars, round tables and book launches, Info-Prim Neo reports. Library director Alexe Rau stated that this edition was also dedicated to the Ion and Doina Aldea-Teodorovici Year. It is an event of cultural identification and a tradition that must be kept. Minister of Culture Boris Focsa said that the Book Salon is one of the many successful ideas in Moldova. “I’m glad that we are acknowledging the importance of written culture, that it is a holiday of the whole culture. More and more people are interested in the Salon, more and more countries are participating. It’s a successful adaptation of culture to the market economy. We need more events like these for the integration of our culture into the market economy, which actually means the integration of our culture into the European culture”. Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute “Mihai Eminescu” Petre Guran declared himself a great admirer of the National Library and of its staff for the richness it offers. “We’ve been partners for two years in organizing various events. I’m here at a holiday of the soul, a personal holiday. I’d like to add that the library has the duty to keep the books. The library knows how to look toward future”, said Petre Guran. Ion Ungureanu, Minister of Culture between 1990 and 1994, declared that Book Salon became a tradition, which proves that Moldova is gaining experience. “Where there are traditions, there are also values. We need traditions to prevent accidental or destructive things from happening”, said the former Minister. Ion Ungureanu will launch at the Salon the first volume of his book “The Theater of My Life…”. The 21st edition of the International Book Salon takes place between August 31 and September 4. During this time, many cultural events will be organized, including book launches, round tables, thematic exhibitions and creation workshops.