site.btaUkrainian Local Officials Extend Greetings to Bulgarian Community at National Awakeners' Day Celebrations in Odesa

Acting Chair of the Odesa City Council Ihor Koval and Deputy Chair of the Odesa Regional Council Vadim Shkarovskoy greeted the Bulgarian community during a ceremony marking the Day of the National Awakeners at the Renaissance Banquet Hall in Odesa on Saturday.

The event was part of the Week of Bulgarian Culture in Odesa and the region.

"Today we conclude the Week of Bulgarian Culture - an event that once again proved Odesa remains a place of culture and mutual respect," Koval said. He thanked the organizers and participants, noting that the week’s events had allowed citizens to immerse themselves in Bulgarian traditions and honor the figures who shaped Bulgarian culture.

"More than two centuries ago, your ancestors came to the Bessarabian steppes - a land where only the wind blew. Today, it is a fertile region of fields and vineyards. You and your forebears turned this land into a blessed place," said Shkarovskоy.

He emphasized that the Bulgarians of Odesa Region have preserved their history, culture, and language, passing them down through generations. "A people who remember and continue their history have a future. Together, we are one country - a country that will work and develop without forgetting its past," he added.

Shkarovskоy expressed gratitude to the Consulate General of Bulgaria in Odesa and Consul General Svetoslav Ivanov for their support of the Ukrainian people and the friendship between the two nations.

"Your diaspora is so large that the Bulgarian language can be heard everywhere. Gradually, we too begin to understand it, because that is how we preserve history and pass this connection on to future generations," Shkarovskoy concluded.