The participants had a chance to meet, discuss and share opinions about the most pressing issues in both North Macedonian and Bulgarian societies and build bridges towards a better region.
The bilateral meeting started with an introductory session where the scholars heard more about the goals of this meeting and its importance in the context of building better regional cooperation and reconciliation.

During the next day, there was an accent on the regional efforts towards integration where both sides agreed that the Western Balkans' EU integration is of utmost importance, but also the need of building closer relations between the countries and fighting the negative narratives which create division between neighbouring countries.

In the next session about Media reporting on regional disputes, the participants had the opportunity to understand the role of the media in shaping people's opinions and the influence it has on the political climate and regional stability.

The participants had a chance to meet, discuss and share opinions about the most pressing issues in both North Macedonian and Bulgarian societies and build bridges towards a better region.

The bilateral meeting started with an introductory session where the scholars heard more about the goals of this meeting and its importance in the context of building better regional cooperation and reconciliation.

During the next day, there was an accent on the regional efforts towards integration where both sides agreed that the Western Balkans' EU integration is of utmost importance, but also the need of building closer relations between the countries and fighting the negative narratives which create division between neighbouring countries.

In the next session about Media reporting on regional disputes, the participants had the opportunity to understand the role of the media in shaping people's opinions and the influence it has on the political climate and regional stability.

The day continued with a Foreign influence operations workshop where they learned more about different types of propaganda as a tool to control and persuade the public.

The second day of the bilateral meeting ended with a cultural walk through Ohrid where the participants got a sense of the rich cultural heritage of the city and it's natural and architectonic beauties.

The last day of the bilateral weekend started with a workshop for connecting the Macedonian and Bulgarian youth, and ended with a meeting with the mayor of the City of Ohrid - Mr. Kiril Pecakov.

Regional cooperation and reconciliation is a topic that is quite necessary for the region and these types of events are a perfect opportunity to exchange different points of view and have a healthy debate in the spirit of the European values.

The young scholars from both countries had a very productive and truly amazing time in Ohrid and look forward to meet again soon!"