Vice-president Iliana Iotova held talks with representatives of the Bulgarian associations in Bratislava
Representatives of Bulgarian associations in the capital of Slovakia expressed love and attachment to their homeland and a willingness to work together with and for Bulgaria before Vice-president Iliana Iotova. They are involved in intense activity mainly in the sphere of culture and education and maintain a live connection with Bulgaria and try to popularize our country in the capital of Slovakia. The local residents show a good attitude to them and the Bulgarians participate in many joint projects. However, they have a major problem – they do not receive much support from the Bulgarian state.
Radostina Doganova is an artist who has been living in Slovakia for a long time. She is working together with the Samokov municipality and popularizes Slovak and Bulgarian creative artists. Her initiative includes training and finishes with a common exhibition. “We should pursue a common national policy regarding our compatriots abroad, which serves the interests of Bulgaria, the interests of all of us – this is our major goal,” Vice-president Iliana Iotova said. “It is not accidental that I say “policy with our compatriots abroad, not “towards” because I am convinced that we should work together to achieve results,” Iliana Iotova said.
The Vice-president voiced to the people gathered in the Bulgarian embassy in Bratislava the idea for establishing a Bulgarian language institute following the example set by the Cervantes Institute or the Goethe Institute so that “our culture and language can be spread to all parts of the world.” Iliana Iotova said that she held meetings with representatives of the institutions that are involved in the topic.
The work on another difficult topic is going on - the establishment of an internet platform that should be the connection between the Bulgarians abroad and their homeland. The idea was widely approved by the Bulgarian communities abroad.
The delegation led by Iliana Iotova includes Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ana Kocheva from the Institute for Bulgarian Language at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Assoc. Prof. Kocheva is member of the Council for work with the Bulgarians abroad at the Vice-president’s office.
According to official statistics, about 2,000 Bulgarians are living in the Republic of Slovakia. This number does not include the people with double citizenship and also the people with Bulgarian identity that do not have a Bulgarian citizenship. According to estimates of the Bulgarian Embassy, we should add to this number at least 2,000 people more. The Bulgarians in the Republic of Slovakia have the status of a national minority.