AEPJ and the European Route of Jewish Heritage Take an Active Role at the 15th Council of Europe Cultural Routes Advisory Forum in Yerevan

Yerevan, 23 September 2026 – The AEPJ and the European Route of Jewish Heritage are taking part this week in the 15th Advisory Forum on the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, held in Yerevan, Armenia, from 23 to 25 September under the theme “Routes through Time and Cultures: Education for Sustainable Heritage”. 

The annual Advisory Forum is one of the main meeting points of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme, bringing together representatives of member states, certified Cultural Routes, international organisations, universities, public authorities and heritage and tourism professionals. This year’s Forum focuses particularly on the relationship between education and cultural heritage and on the capacity of Cultural Routes to contribute to sustainable development, intercultural dialogue and lifelong learning. 

The Forum officially opened today with a strong institutional presence, reflecting the growing importance of the Cultural Routes programme as a platform for European cultural cooperation. Opening remarks were delivered by Tigran Avinyan, Mayor of Yerevan; Zhanna Andreasyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia; Roberto Olla, Head of the Department of Democratic Freedoms and Institutions of the Council of Europe; and Sergio Ortega Muñoz, Chair of the Governing Board of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes. The opening was followed by a keynote on education and heritage by Nazénie Garibian of Matenadaran and a high-level policy dialogue devoted to education for sustainable heritage.

For the AEPJ and the European Route of Jewish Heritage, certified as a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2004, the Forum represents an important opportunity not only to exchange experiences, but also to strengthen the Route’s role within the wider Cultural Routes ecosystem. 

AEPJ’s participation began on Tuesday, ahead of the official opening, with a series of meetings dedicated to cooperation between Cultural Routes, as well as exchanges with representatives of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes (EPA), the intergovernmental body responsible for the programme.

On Wednesday morning, during the meeting of representatives of the Cultural Routes, AEPJ presented the cooperation work developed through CURV, the Erasmus+ project in which the European Route of Jewish Heritage leads the work package dedicated to cooperation between Cultural Routes. The presentation offered an opportunity to share the experience developed within the project and to explore how stronger collaboration between certified routes can generate new methodologies, partnerships and opportunities at European level.

This spirit of cooperation will remain one of the priorities throughout the Forum. AEPJ has a number of bilateral meetings scheduled with other Cultural Routes, as well as with representatives of public institutions from countries where the European Route of Jewish Heritage is not yet represented, with the aim of exploring possible future partnerships and expanding the network.

Looking ahead to İzmir 2027

A central focus of AEPJ’s presence in Yerevan is the preparation of the 2027 Training Academy of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, which will be co-hosted by the AEPJ, through the European Route of Jewish Heritage, and the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality in İzmir, Türkiye.

The 2027 edition will have a particular significance as it will take place in the year marking the 40th anniversary of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme, launched in 1987. The anniversary is already an important part of the reflection taking place within the programme on its future development and quality. 

During the days in Yerevan, AEPJ will hold working meetings with the European Institute of Cultural Routes and other programme representatives to further define the concept, programme and content of the Academy, as well as the specific contribution of the European Route of Jewish Heritage to its development.

The Academy, scheduled to take place in İzmir from 2 to 5 June 2027, will bring together Cultural Routes managers and professionals from across Europe and will provide a major opportunity to connect the experience of the Cultural Routes programme with İzmir’s rich and diverse cultural heritage.

“The Advisory Forum is always one of the most important moments of the year for the Cultural Routes community, but this edition is particularly significant for us. We are here not only to represent the European Route of Jewish Heritage, but to strengthen cooperation with other Routes, public institutions and the Council of Europe programme itself. Looking towards 2027, co-hosting the Training Academy in İzmir gives us an extraordinary opportunity to contribute actively to the future of the programme, in the year of its 40th anniversary, while bringing Jewish heritage firmly into this broader European conversation on culture, education and shared heritage,” said Victor Sorenssen, Director of AEPJ.

The Forum is co-organised by the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of the Republic of Armenia, in partnership with the European Institute of Cultural Routes, the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Armenia and the Foundation for the Development of Culture, with the support of the Municipality of Yerevan