site.btaTaraclia to Retain Separate Administrative Status, Moldovan Foreign Minister Popsoi Says

Taraclia will retain its separate administrative status and become a municipality, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi said on Wednesday. He described this as extremely important after meeting Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova to discuss Moldova’s administrative reform and the Bulgarian minority in the region.

He described the Bulgarian community in Moldova as an important bridge between the two countries. “We remain fully committed to protecting it and promoting its linguistic and cultural identity,” Popsoi said. He added that preserving Taraclia’s identity and distinctive character as a cultural centre for the Bulgarian community was of great importance. He also noted the success of the Taraclia branch of Angel Kanchev University of Ruse and the steadily growing interest in it.

Popsoi described the partnership between Bulgaria and Moldova as strong. He thanked Bulgaria for supporting Moldova’s efforts to join the European Union. For Moldova, European integration was more than a foreign policy goal, he said.

He said he and Petrova had discussed specific projects for the future, from connectivity and energy security to developing economic relations. Popsoi said the value of bilateral trade continued to grow. He also noted cooperation in energy and said the talks had covered acts of Russian aggression in the Black Sea.