A group of eleven people, including master students in historical heritage and cultural tourism at the “Ion Creanga” State Pedagogical University, has recently returned from a study visit to the Department of the Vendee in France. They had the occasion to learn more about how the the six historical-cultural sites in the Department are managed. The visit is part of a collaboration project between the Moldovan Landmarks Agency (AIRM), the Vendee Department (France), the French Embassy in Chisinau, the Ion Creanga State Pedagogical University and other national institutions.
“Any visit is a professional restart. The goal of the Agency is to strengthen the project team to achieve the next objectives of the project’s third stage”, AIRM director Ion Ștefăniță told a press conference. In the third stage of the project interactive methods will be developed for promoting the Soroca Fortress with the help of new technologies.
“If we want our national mechanism of heritage preservation and promotion to work, we need to invest in human resources and have well-trained specialists. I encourage these specialists to study here and continue in France, where over 20 universities offer opportunities for development,” said Ion Ștefăniță .
Martine Zejgman, counselor at the Embassy of France in Moldova, said that every year the Embassy offers to fund projects for local development cooperation between the two countries. “This one is an exemplary project because it allows the exchange of experience and good practice,” said Martine Zejgman. The counselor also says that the French Embassy is motivated to support this project, which is developed by AIRM with its partners and supported by the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF).
AUF project expert Claudia Vișan said the Agency’s mission is to act in solidarity and encourage the initiatives of its member universities. In Moldova, eight universities are members of AUF. In the last two years, AUF has been associated with the cultural heritage project, facilitating a number of activities, such as study visits to France, as well as internships and continuous training.
