Teller Report

Ukraine protests Bulgaria over declaration of minority protection

5/20/2020, 11:52:03 PM

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed strong protest after the adoption by the Bulgarian National Assembly of a declaration on the protection of the rights of the Bulgarian community of the Bolgradsky district of Odessa region in connection with the administrative-territorial reform planned by Kiev.


“The issues of the administrative-territorial structure of Ukraine belong to the exclusive competence of state authorities of Ukraine. For us, attempts at interference by a foreign state in the internal affairs of Ukraine are completely unacceptable, ”the Ukrainian department said in a statement.

In Kiev, they called manipulative statements about the impact of this reform on the national identity of the ethnic Bulgarians of Ukraine.

“The rights of national minorities in Ukraine are enshrined in national legislation and are steadily protected by the state in accordance with modern European practices,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry added.

They also assured that the question of the future of the Bolgradsky district will be decided taking into account the position of local residents.

Ukraine called on Bulgaria to dialogue on this situation.

On May 20, Bulgarian deputies called on their government to take measures to preserve the integrity of the Bulgarian community in the Bolgradsky district of Odessa region, which is planned to be divided into five communities in accordance with the administrative reform.

In March, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky signed the law on secondary education, which provides for a gradual reduction in teaching in the languages ​​of national minorities, including Russian.