The director of "Sergei Lunkevich" National Philharmonic Svetlana Bivol was conferred the Order of Cultural Merit in the rank of Officer, Category F, for the "Promotion of Culture", by the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, IPN reports.

According to the Ministry of Culture of Moldova, the order was awarded to Svetlana Bivol at an event staged by the Embassy of Romania in Chisinau, to which numerous officials and artists were invited

"Mrs. Svetlana Bivol has distinguished herself throughout her career through meritorious activities aimed at promoting Romanian culture in the Republic of Moldova, both from the position of general director of the National Philharmonic "Sergei Lunkevich" and previously from the position of director-manager of the National Opera and Ballet House “Maria Bieșu”, in the Republic of Moldova," Cristian-Leon Turcanu, Romania's Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, posted on social media.

Asked by IPN, Svetlana Bivol said that the "Cultural Merit" makes her even more responsible in her endeavor to continuously promote national values.

"It is with great pride that I received this important distinction, which gives me confidence that the beautiful projects with great Romanian artists and our participation on Romanian stages have an extraordinary social impact. It is through culture and art that we have long been united and naturally integrated into the European circuit", said Svetlana Bivol.

The Order of Cultural Merit in the rank of Officer, Category F, for the "Promotion of Culture", represents the Romanian state’s recognition for keeping spirituality alive and for promoting Romanian culture. The decree conferring the Order of Cultural Merit on the director of the National Philharmonic of Moldova was signed by the President of Romania on October 1, on the International Music Day.