Bled, 19. May (STA) – Writers from around the world called for moral support and respect for their profession on the final day of the international PEN meeting at Bled on Saturday.

The call was made in a statement issued as part of a session of the PEN International Peace Committee, which is chaired by Slovenian writer Edvard Kovač.

Kovač told the STA after the meeting that the statement calls for writers to be respected and expresses concern that a part of the yellow press readily attacks the work of writers.

The writers also expressed support to the efforts of the Francophonie and compiled a letter in the support of the PEN Centre in Mexico, where the protection of writers and journalists is deteriorating due to the ongoing drug violence.

Kovač hailed the importance of the 44th Bled PEN meeting, saying leading PEN officials reiterated the importance of such meetings and highlighted Bled’s role as a birthplace of ideas.

This year’s Bled PEN meeting was dedicated to poetry.