site.btaParliamentary Committee Chair Kirova Meets with Mayors of Vasylivka Municipality in Ukraine's Bolhrad Region

Rositsa Kirova, Chair of the parliamentary Committee on Direct Participation of Citizens, Citizens’ Complaints and Interaction with Civil Society, met with the mayors of Vasylivka Municipality in Ukraine's Bolhrad Region on Tuesday. She was accompanied by Bulgarian Consul General in Odesa Svetoslav Ivanov.

The high-ranking guests were welcomed by Vasylivka Municipality Mayor Petar Boychev and mayors of villages Georgiy Kasim, Elena Zhecheva, Petar Nedyalkov, and Viktor Genchev. 

Consul General Ivanov said that the municipality unites four Bulgarian villages and one Bulgarian-Albanian village. Three Bulgarian Sunday schools have been opened in the municipality – in Vasylivka, Kalchevo, and Karakurt, where the population is mixed and there are many Albanians. Many of the children of Albanian origin want to learn Bulgarian and attend the Bulgarian Sunday school. "This year, we opened a preparatory Bulgarian group in the kindergarten in Banovka and four classes from first to fourth grade in the primary school, which are taught in the Bulgarian Sunday school. We intend to support and open a Bulgarian Sunday school in Banovka for the upper grades next year," explained Ivanov.

The Consul General noted that Vasylivka is one of the municipalities that serve as an example of how to preserve and develop Bulgarian culture. On March 3, a large concert was organized here with the participation of Bulgarian ensembles from all villages in the municipality, he recalled. "A few days ago, together with BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, we participated in the municipality's celebrations and organized a large concert by Bulgarian performer Ilia Lukov," added the Consul General.

Kirova said that Vasylivka is the first municipality where all the village mayors have gathered to tell her that Bulgarian is the first language learned by children born there. "I have said this in Odesa and other places in Bessarabia: you truly are awakeners. You preserve traditions and language and show such respect for Bulgaria that I want to organize trips for Bulgarians from Bulgaria to come here and see what it means to love Bulgaria. Ukraine is your homeland, the country where you live, but your hearts are in Bulgaria. I hope that the Bulgarian State, with all the efforts we are making, will be able to help more. I think we will have this opportunity in the coming years," the parliamentary Committee Chair said. 

During the meeting, the mayors shared information about the cultural and socioeconomic life of the Bulgarian community in the municipality. Opportunities for further cooperation were discussed.

The Bulgarian delegation is visiting Odesa and the region to celebrate the Day of Bessarabian Bulgarians and National Awakeners' Day.

There are over 150,000 Bulgarians in Odesa Region, making them the third largest ethnic group according to the latest official census in Ukraine.