The judging panel for the European Capital of Culture arrived in Belfast yesterday to assess the city's bid to carry the title in 2008.
Belfast is one of the front runners for the bid but there are 14 UK cities in the running, including Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham and Cardiff.
Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Michael McGimpsey, said the city was a worthy contender for the title, despite bad publicity caused by recent sectarian violence.
He greeted the panel which includes chairman Sir Jeremy Isaacs and vice chairwomen Ms Sue McGregor and Ms Judith Mayhew.
"There is no avoiding the fact that the image of Belfast that has recently been on television screens throughout the UK has been one of violence and confrontation," Mr McGimpsey said. "But there is much more to our city and our province than that."
He said the resilience and determination to build a better life for the people of Belfast and the rest of Northern Ireland had resulted in huge progress over recent years.
The European Capital of Culture was launched in 1985 as a means of bringing European citizens closer together. Dublin held the title in 1991.
Glasgow was the last UK city to hold the title, in 1990, and the city is often used as an example of the positive cultural and social benefit the designation can bring.
Cork city has won the nomination for 2005, while Bruges in Belgium and Spain's Salamanca hold the title this year.
