The representatives of the Bulgarian community in Lebanon and the Lebanese people who have received their university degree in Bulgaria prove that there are no borders and distances for friendships. They are the most valuable connection between our two peoples. This is what President Rumen Radev said in Beirut at a meeting with representatives of the Bulgarian community in Lebanon, which was also attended by the members of the Association of Lebanese specialists who took their university degree in Bulgaria.
Approximately 400 Bulgarians, most of which are representatives of mixed Bulgarian-Lebanese families, live in the Arab country. More than 1000 Lebanese citizens who received their university degree in Bulgaria, mainly in engineering and medical majors, founded their association in 1988.
The President noted that it is a great pleasure to see so many happy families gathered at one place and the best expression of the friendship between the two peoples is their children. “It is our duty to work so as to ensure that these children feel equally citizens of Lebanon and of Bulgaria, know the Arab language, but study and know Bulgarian as well,” Rumen Radev said. The president highlighted the Bulgarian community’s and the Bulgarian embassy’s contribution to establishing a licensed Sunday school for the Bulgarian children in Beirut.
The Lebanese in Bulgaria are a symbol of talent, diligence and success, Rumen Radev further said and noted that the Bulgarian public deeply respects the Lebanese citizens who have graduated in Bulgaria. The President voiced hope that the business contacts between the two countries will be deeper, and also that there will be a more intense exchange of students’ programs, tourists and cultural events.
The participants in the meeting raised the issues of creating a cultural center and also of facilitating the visa regime for the Lebanese students and representatives of mixed families. The question was also raised about ensuring juridical consultations for Bulgarians in Lebanon who are not well acquainted with the amendments in Bulgarian legislation. The Head of State said that it is true that the laws in Bulgaria are amended very quickly and we are “champions” in this respect. However, he assumed the commitment to ensure that the institutions in Bulgaria take the necessary actions to strengthen the ties between the two peoples.
Among the topics discussed at the meeting between President Rumen Radev and the Prime Minister of the Lebanese Republic Saad Hariri were achieving a better transport and economic connectivity and deepening the spiritual, cultural and education relations between the two countries.
In Beirut the Head of State laid a wreath in front of the Martyr’s Memorial, where the Lebanese public pays tribute to its heroes from the independence wars.