site.btaBulgarian President Meets Cyprus Parliament Chair, Members of Local Bulgarian Community

Nicosia, November 28 (BTA) - Meeting with the President of the Cypriot Parliament, Demetris Syllouris, on the second day of his visit to Nicosia, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev expressed appreciation for the efforts of Cyprus to provide proper conditions for the Bulgarian nationals living there to work freely and to be integrated in the Cypriot society, said his press secretariat. Radev thanked the Parliament of Cyprus for being the first to ratify the agreement on Bulgaria's accession to the EU and to pass legislation opening the country's labour market for Bulgarian workers.

Radev and Syllouris discussed the prospects for the further development of the bilateral relations, for promoting dialogue between the two Parliaments, and ways to increase the educational and cultural exchange. The two also dwelled on the preparation and priorities of the upcoming Bulgarian EU Presidency.

Radev said that the cooperation between Bulgaria and Cyprus in energy has a huge potential. He stressed the importance of the project for the gas interconnector between Bulgaria and Greece which he said can provide energy links with other countries in the Mediterranean.

Syllouris thanked for the opportunity provided by Bulgaria for Cypriot students to study and receive scholarships there. He said that the people of Cyprus highly appreciates the aid to Cypriot refugees Bulgaria rendered during the conflict in 1974. The President of the Cypriot Parliament familiarized Radev with his country's efforts to be a factor of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Meeting with representatives of the Bulgarian community in Cyprus, Radev commended them for being well integrated and enjoying the trust of the local communities. The meeting took place in the town hall of Nicosia's Lakatamia
suburb, where earlier Radev participated in a ceremony for naming a street after Bulgarian revolutionary and freedom fighter Vassil Levski.

The Bulgarian head of State said he is very pleased to meet young Bulgarians abroad, who have preserved their language, culture and traditions, as well as citizens of Cyprus who speak excellent Bulgarian and keep alive their ties with Bulgaria.

Radev praised the contribution of Bulgarians to the Cyprian economy.

The President said that every Bulgarian child needs to have access to a Bulgarian school. "The attention to young people and working with them is an effort aimed towards a better future for all," the Bulgarian President said.

He lauded the efforts of the local Bulgarian community thanks to which ten Bulgarian weekend schools have opened in Cyprus, religious services are held in the Bulgarian language at a local church and a Bulgarian theatre established. "This feeling of belonging proves that the Bulgarian spirit in Cyprus is alive and the ties between the two peoples are strong and friendly," Radev said.

Among the topics during the meeting with the Bulgarians were ways to improve the education and integration of Bulgarians abroad, the protection of their rights by both Bulgarian and foreign institutions, the opportunities for Bulgarians to apply to
Bulgarian universities and ways for this country to support the artistic, scientific and journalistic work by Bulgarians abroad.

President Radev awarded the Order of the Madara Horseman, First Class, to Deputy General Secretary of the Pancyprian Federation of Labour and former labour minister (2008-2013) Sotiroula Charalambous in recognition of her contribution to the development of Bulgarian-Cypriot relations in the social sphere and the protection of labour and social rights of Bulgarians working in Cyprus, Radev's Press Secretariat told BTA.

Sotiroula Charalambous has contributed greatly to the integration of a growing number of Bulgarian workers in Cyprus. Thanks to her, a labour and social rights information network was created, while information days for Bulgarian workers in Cyprus started to be held, Radev said, expressing gratitude for her efforts to reduce the deadline for confirming upon retirement the length of service acquired by Bulgarians in Cyprus.

Charalambous said during the ceremony that she is honoured to be recognized with the Order of the Madara Horseman, First Class, adding that this will connect her even more to Bulgaria and the cause of protecting its citizens.

President Radev met with Cyprus University Rector Prof. Constantinos Christofides and discussed with him ways to encourage the academic exchanges between the two countries and modernizing higher schools. The Bulgarian Head of State brought as a gift for the university a bust of John Atanasoff.

In a lecture to students entitled "Europe on the Way towards the Digital Future", Radev said that innovations and information are basic values and that those who command information also command our future. He said that the EU needs to set in place efficient cyber security systems and spoke about the importance of being able to recognize fake news and transform into knowledge that huge volume of information that is available.

He told the students that in the recent years Bulgaria has seen a remarkable growth of the ICT sector, by 250 per cent, with small and mid-sized companies being particularly successful. Sofia places close to the top cities with the size of its population of young ICT specialists.