Chisinau City Hall rejects Culture Minister’s statements

The Chisinau City Hall says it regrets the statements made by the Minister of Culture and Tourism Artur Cozma, according to whom the municipal authorities do not cooperate in organising the international festival “Martisor 2008”, Info-Prim Neo reports. Under the legislation, all the expenses of organising such festivities, including the preparing of the necessary materials, are covered by the organisers, a statement issued by the Public Relations Division of the City Hall says. The statement says that the Chisinau City Hall is responsible only for placing posters along the central streets of the town and not for making them. The municipal services wait for the banners to put them in the places indicated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The Chisinau administration says it is open for cooperation so as to promote the cultural values of the nation. The local authorities are ready to provide the stage in the main square to the central authorities without charge. At a news conference on February 26, Artur Cozma said that the only problem related to the organisation of “Martisor 2008” is the placement of banners up across the city’s streets. The minister said that the City Hall’s representatives had not yet answered the Government’s request to put ads along the city’s boulevards.