Bulgaria's Culture Minister Rashidov (left) with Irina Bokova (middle) in Paris, some 2 weeks ago before Bokova was elected to head UNESCO. Photo by BGNES
Bulgaria's Culture Minister, Vezhdi Rashidov, has congratulated Irina Bokova for her election to head UNESCO.
In a secret ballot in Paris late Tuesday night, Bokova defeated her Egyptian competitor, Faruq Hosni, with 31 vs. 27 votes.
"We have secured a lot of support for Bokova's bid. However, at the beginning her chances seemed to head UNESCO seemed really negligible," Culture Minister Rashidov has commented.
Bokova is the acting Bulgarian Ambassador in Paris, France.