site.btaConsul General in Odesa: Bulgarian–Ukrainian University Ties a Priority

Developing bilateral relations between Bulgarian and Ukrainian universities is a priority, Svetoslav Ivanov, Consul General of Bulgaria in Odesa, told the BG World news service of BTA. He added that discussions were held with Prof. Volodymyr Kropyvnyi, the rector of the Central Ukrainian National Technical University in Kropyvnytskyi, about establishing working contacts with the Agricultural University in Plovdiv and the Veterinary University in Stara Zagora.

Ivanov visited Kropyvnytskyi on December 18 to participate in the opening of a Bulgarian-Ukrainian Centre and the 15th anniversary celebrations of the Kirovograd Regional Bulgarian Society "Our People". "The society has been operating for 15 years, having been founded in 2010. It is now a beneficiary of the programme supporting Bulgarian communities abroad in Ukraine, receiving support from the Bulgarian Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to implement the "Promoting true Ukrainian-Bulgarian history (7th–21st centuries)" project in the Kirovograd and Poltava regions", said the Consul General.

He added that, this year, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved 11 projects for Ukraine under its programme to support Bulgarian communities, with three at the Embassy in Kyiv and eight within the scope of the Consulate General in Odesa.

"Although there are relatively few ethnic Bulgarians living in Kropyvnytskyi, we have not neglected them and believe that no matter how far they are from Odesa and Kyiv, they are important to Bulgaria. This is because it enables them to preserve their historical roots, Bulgarian culture and, above all, their mother tongue," said the diplomat.