Skopje 6 December 2023 (MIA) - As a minister, I advocate for a higher budget every year. We will continue to support every project we supported and financed in the past, and we are open to new projects, Minister of Culture Bisera Kostadinovska Stojchevska said on Wednesday.

"The new 2024 draft budget will remain within the frameworks of what we already had in 2023 when we supported all cultural projects, not only those of national institutions, but other users as well. I hope that national institutions will also fund their own projects," Kostadinovska Stojchevska told reporters during a visit to the "Goce Delchev" library in Shtip.

She noted that despite the challenges arising from the pandemic, energy and security crisis, national institutions have managed to implement their projects.

Regarding remarks made by some municipalities that the Ministry of Culture does not treat all local governments equally, she said it depends on how the municipalities value culture and the awareness level their administrations have regarding investments.

This year, she noted, Kratovo, Strumica, Krushevo, Valandovo, and Delchevo received Mden 40 million through the item on Capital grants given to local government units.

"In addition to programs, we also invest in capital investments. We value everything we receive. The more a municipality tries, the more it gets. If a municipality values culture, it will know how to fill out the application," Kostadinovska Stojchevska noted, adding that there are national institutions that work much better with local governments. ssh/nn/

Photo: Print screen