President Rumen Radev awarded Sotiroula Charalambous, Deputy General Secretary of the Pancyprian Federation of Labor (PEO) and Labor and Social Insurance Minister (2008-2013), the Order of the Madara Horseman first class. The order is awarded in recognition of her contribution to the development of the relations between Bulgaria and Cyprus in the social sphere and the protection of the labor and social rights of the Bulgarians working in Cyprus.
“Sotiroula Charalambous contributed a lot to the integration of the increasing number of Bulgarian workers in Cyprus. Thanks to her, an information network of the labor and social rights was created and information days for the Bulgarian workers in Cyprus started to be organized,” the President said and voiced his gratitude for her efforts to cut the period for confirming a length of insurable service when the Bulgarian citizens retire in the country.
With the help of Sotiroula Charalambous the beginning was set of the bilateral cooperation between the control bodies of Bulgaria and Cyprus in the sphere of preventing and fighting undeclared employment. She actively worked for expanding the regulatory basis of the cooperation between Bulgaria and Cyprus in the social sphere and for an exchange of Cypriot trade union experts and experts from the National Social Security Institute.
“To be awarded the Order of the Madara Horseman first class is a great honor to me and makes my ties with Bulgaria and the cause to protect its citizens even stronger. To protect the rights of all workers in one’s country, irrespective of their nationality, race and sex, is the duty of any labor and social insurance minister. The citizens should enjoy equal rights and not become an object of exploitation and neglect,” Sotiroula Charalambous said at the awarding ceremony. She highlighted the efforts the Cypriot institutions make to prevent the illegal employment of labor and the exploitation of workers, and also to apply in a principled and consistent manner the European regulations on freedom of movement within the common European market.