site.btaBulgarian Foreign Minister Visits North Macedonia to Open Bulgarian-Funded Social Centre

August 16 (BTA) - During her visit to
 Strumica, North Macedonia, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign
Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva told journalists that in 2019
the Republic of North Macedonia has been the largest beneficiary
 of Bulgarian development aid. "There is no other country that
has received as much assistance from Bulgaria," the Foreign
Minister noted.

Zaharieva presented a new Strumica Municipality multifunctional
social centre which was funded with 270,000 leva by the
Bulgarian government. The centre was created to provide offices,
 training facilities and assistance facilities for NGOs working
with people with disabilities.

In 2019, the Bulgarian government has allocated a total of about
 1 million leva for projects in North Macedonia.

Bulgaria is currently helping fund the construction of a second
centre in Ohrid for early autism diagnosis, the construction of
sports facilities in Kriva Palanka, as well as the
reconstruction of two bridges in Struga and in the village of
Lozhani, respectively. Another joint project, which Zaharieva
singled out as very important, is aimed at cooperation between
the media on both sides against hate speech. A press conference
on the matter is scheduled for September.

The presentation of the multifunctional social centre was
attended by  Strumica Mayor Kosta Janevski and North Macedonia's
Deputy Foreign Minister Andrej Zernovski. "Our intention is to
become a member of the EU and to seek your experience on the
road you have covered there so far," Janevski said. He also
noted the importance of the social centre project, which will
include six non-governmental organizations serving the interests
 of different groups of people with disabilities. Yanevski
expressed his gratitude to the Bulgarian government.

On Thursday evening, Minister Zaharieva attended a concert
within the framework of the One Love Tour festival in Strumica.
The festival features some of the most popular artists from both
 countries. RY/DT