Today, on 21 August, Minister of Education, Culture and Research, Monica Babuc, had a meeting with the President of the US Commission for the Conservation of America's Heritage Abroad, Paul Packer, who is in one official visit in Republic of Moldova, between 20 to 23 August.

At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Monica Babuc highly appreciated the collaboration with USA, through the US Embassy in Chisinau, USAID and the Ambassadors for Cultural Conservation Fund, several valuable cultural projects such as the restoration of the Church of ,,The Assumption of the Mother of God” in Causeni; the projects ,,The Safeguarding of Bessarabian Basilicas from the Tsarist Period (1812-1917)” and ,,The Safeguarding of Gagauz Language and Traditions in Moldova”; Carpet Fair; National Day of the Popular Port, etc.

At the same time, the minister spoke about the collaboration with the Jewish community in the Republic of Moldova, which after the adoption by the Moldovan Parliament the Declaration on the acceptance of the final report of the International Commission on Holocaust, chaired by Elie Wiesel, and the approbation by the Government the Action Plan on its implementation, it intensified significantly. In this regard, the official also mentioned about the visits to the Republic of Moldova of the OSCE President's Personal Representative, Rabbi Andrew Baker and the Vice-President of the World Jewish Congress, Robert Singer, which provided a good opportunity for an extensive exchange of views on the achievements, but also the challenges faced by the Republic of Moldova in the field of Holocaust education and commemoration.

Other important topics of the discussions were the present stage of the process of establishing the Jewish History Museum of the Republic of Moldova; the conservation and the protection of monuments dedicated to Holocaust victims and the maintenance of Jewish cemeteries. In this context, Minister Monica Babuc launched the initiative to develop, together with the US Commission for the Conservation of America's Heritage Abroad, a project for the promotion and restoration of the Jewish heritage in our country. This project would involve financial assistance for electronic equipment of the future Museum of Jewish History and Culture; the restoration of a Jewish cemetery, and the launch of a Jewish cultural heritage documentation and research project in the Republic of Moldova.

In his turn, Paul Paker spoke of his country's interest in supporting cultural projects in the Republic of Moldova, welcoming the Moldovan authorities' desire to work with the US Commission for the Conservation of America's Heritage Abroad and expressing plenary support for it. The US official said that cultural heritage development means not only the spirituality of a country but also its economic development, and its promotion and valorization contribute to the attractiveness of the Republic of Moldova and as a tourist destination.

During the discussions, the parties expressed their common interest in working together to intensify bilateral cooperation relations with the aim of promoting and preserving cultural heritage.