NEWS

President Rumen Radev: Bulgaria Highly Appreciates and Will Support Serbia’s Efforts to Implement a European Model for Respecting Minorities’ Rights

Our compatriots in Serbia called for a simplified procedure for issuing Bulgarian passports, an economic perspective for the region and simplified crossing of the Bulgarian border in the pandemic situation

We can solve the problems of the Bulgarian national minority in Serbia, and give a perspective so that our compatriots here can be proud to be Bulgarian, feel free, and maintain their national self-identity, their roots, language and spirituality, stated President Rumen Radev, who held a meeting alongside his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vu?i? with representatives of the Bulgarian national minority within his visit to Dimitrovgrad (Tsaribrod) in the Republic of Serbia. This is the second joint meeting of Mr. Rumen Radev and Mr. Aleksandar Vu?i? with our compatriots in Serbia.

Both the Bulgarian and Serbian states will be consistent in their policies for solving the issues of the Bulgarian national minority in Serbia, Mr. Rumen Radev assured. The Head of State thanked his Serbian colleague for the commitment he made in 2018 towards our compatriots in Serbia and for his efforts in implementing it, including funding media broadcasting content in Bulgarian.

Laws in Serbia over recent years have developed so as to respect minorities’ rights and we appreciate this, stated the Bulgarian President. The Head of State considers it necessary to put in further efforts for our compatriots in Serbia to have an even better life, which will further strengthen the relations between both neighbouring countries. “Strengthening the relations with our compatriots abroad and protecting their rights is an inseparable part of Bulgaria’s foreign policy,” the President stated.

The most important factor for keeping people in the region and for them to lead a good life is attracting investments, the President pointed out, and announced that representatives of the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy will visit Dimitrovgrad in the coming days to seek practical solutions together with the town’s mayor. “We must explain to more Bulgarian investors the benefits of being here and, respectively, the Serbian state must guarantee the necessary conditions for Bulgarian investors to feel comfortable, feel protected, to be able to remain and develop both manufacturing and services here,” the Head of State declared.

President Rumen Radev called for greater unity, an honest dialogue, and greater activity so that both the Bulgarian and Serbian state are of use for you. He also noted that it is important for this dialogue to continue being constructive and open, so that both states be committed in the name of improving the life of the Bulgarian national minority in Serbia.

Representatives of the Bulgarian national minority called for promoting investment and an economic perspective for the region, a simplified procedure for issuing Bulgarian passports, lowering the administrative burden in changing the suffixes of female surnames and easier crossing of the Bulgarian border in the pandemic situation during the meeting with the two Presidents.

President Vu?i? gave assurances that the Serbian country will invest in enlarging the industrial zone in the region, which will give more job opportunities to the representatives of the Bulgarian national minority as well. Mr. Aleksandar Vu?i? also committed to reviewing and modernising the transport infrastructure in the region.

When questioned, President Radev stated that wherever difficulties in the translation of Bulgarian schoolbooks occur, the Bulgarian state can offer the necessary expert support. “Let us set a clear timeframe and, starting from next year’s academic year, may we feel the progress in this regard,” stated President Rumen Radev. The Minister of Education Mr. Nikolay Denkov, who was also a member of the Head of State’s delegation, also undertook for the Ministry of Education to contribute in this regard.

The representatives of the Bulgarian national minority also called for solutions like that to the issue of suffixes to Bulgarian female surnames and called for additional amendments to simplify the change procedure, currently related to the payment of a fee on behalf of the applicant and going through a lengthy administrative process.

Reinstating the historic name of Tsaribrod to completely replace the name of Dimitrovgrad, currently used in parallel, was also among the topics our compatriots brought to the discussion. Aleksandar Vu?i? said the question regarding the name must be solved locally, depending on the will of the local citizens.