site.btaBulgarians in Budapest Tell Vice President Iotova they Want National Policy for Expats

Budapest, October 17 (BTA) - Talking to Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Iotova at the building of the National Bulgarian Self-Government in Budapest late Monday evening, members of the Bulgarian community in Hungary said they want a national policy for expatriates, the President's Press Secretariat said on Tuesday.

Iotova paid a working visit to Budapest at the invitation of the Bulgarian community in Hungary that took place on the eve of Bulgarian-Hungarian Friendship Day, October 19.

During the meeting, the Vice President noted that the Bulgarian communities abroad is a priority of her work. "Particular importance will be attached to the study and preservation of the Bulgarian language in the countries with historical Bulgarian communities and guaranteeing the rights of our compatriots there," Iotova said. She was adamant that she will continue to campaign for the recognition of the Bulgarian language as a language in which secondary school-leavers may opt to be examined, especially in countries with large Bulgarian diasporas.

The participants in the meeting also told Iotova they would like Bulgarian institutions to facilitate the resumption of the operation of the Hristo Botev Bulgarian School, which was closed down in 2011.

On Monday, the Vice President conferred with Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter. Among other things, they discussed future changes in EU asylum policy, the Dublin Reform and the legal provisions for granting citizenship in the two countries.