Euskadi is present at the plenary session of the Conference of Ministries of Culture of la Francophonie

• Deputy Lehendakari Bengoetxea has discussed  the conclusions of the conference with the Minister of Culture and Communications of Quebec, Mathieu Lacombe
• Ibone Bengoetxea travelled to Québec to attend the International Conference of the Francophonie in quality of special guest at the same level of 93 countries around the world as a result of the implementation of the project “Ça colle au basque”

Ibone Bengoetxea , First Deputy Lehendakari and Regional Minister of Culture and Linguistic Policy, attended this morning the plenary session of the ministerial conference within the framework of the International Organisation of La Francophonie The plenary session collected the contributions made during yesterday's panels and adopted a final declaration reaffirming its commitment to cultural and linguistic diversity.  The Deputy Lehendakari shared the conclusions of the conference with the Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications, Mathieu Lacombe

In its first two points, the declaration reads as follows:

• “In a spirit of solidarity, we reiterate our firm commitment to the common values of La Francophonie, including the promotion of the French language in a context of linguistic diversity;
• We also renew our commitment to promote cultural and linguistic diversity, including that of the communities and territories of La Francophonie, in the face of the impact of digital technologies, in particular in the field of AI, on artists and cultural professionals, as well as on cultural and creative industries.

The Deputy Lehendakari of the Basque Government has given a positive assessment of the Basque Country's presence at this congress: "Today we have opened a new window of opportunity for them to get to know us. We have explained that we are a country with deep roots, a unique identity and high levels of well-being. It has been an opportunity to create new relationships and alliances within the framework of the Euskadi Global strategy"

Likewise, the Deputy Lehendakari  Bengoetxea explained that this meeting has served to compare cultural models and share challenges for the future: "We have explained with our own voice that the Basque cultural system of collaboration between public and private agents and we have seen that the challenges we face are the same for the 90 member states of the International Organisation of La Francophonie. Euskadi also advocates greater linguistic and cultural diversity in the digital sphere"

The Deputy Lehendakari thanked the invitation, stating that “in the Basque Country we exercise cultural sovereignty from a perspective that is close to society, but with a global ambition. The fact that this idea is present here today is an important step for cultural diversity”

International Conference of La Francophonie

Every two years, the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF as per its French acronym) organises a conference to share experiences and best practices in the field of cultural policies, which is attended by countries from all over the world. This year's conference will take place in Quebec from 22 to 24 May and the First Deputy Lehendakari of the Basque Government, Ibone Bengoetxea, has attended as a special guest due to her interest in establishing cultural ties with French-speaking countries following the launch of the "Ça colle au basque” initiative by Etxepare Euskal Institutoa.

Euskadi-Quebec relations

Euskadi and Quebec signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2017. This agreement establishes the framework for bilateral cooperation to consolidate cultural, educational, economic and scientific bonds between the two territories. This favours the exchange of good practices, the joint development of projects in the fields of innovation, research, culture and youth, and active collaboration between institutions, universities, companies and cultural agents.