site.btaBulgarian VP Meets Moldova's President Dodon, Prime Minister Filip

Chisinau, Moldova, October 4 (BTA) - Vice President Iliana Iotova Wednesday held working meetings with Moldova's President Igor Dodon, Prime Minister Pavel Filip, and Parliament Vice President Iurie Leanca. The rights of the Bulgarian minority in Moldova topped the agenda of the talks.

Various sources set the number of ethnic Bulgarians in Moldova between 80,000 and 300,000.

Vice President Iotova is on a two-day visit to the capital of Moldova as patron of the 13th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media. The event brings together representatives of over 30 leading news media in Bulgaria and Bulgarian-language news outlets in Moldova, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Spain, the Vatican, the Netherlands, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, the United States and Canada. The meeting is co-organized by BTA and has been held annually since the first edition (with several skip years).

After her meeting with President Dodon, Iotova said he had assured her that all rights to study Bulgarian language in all Moldovan schools from first to twelfth grade will be preserved at all costs. These rights will be preserved in the form they have existed thus far, and no legislative changes will have to be made to this effect, she specified.

In the forthcoming new administrative division of Moldova, which is also tied to a change in the election system, the Taraclia district will retain its integrity and will have one MP in the future; this is very important both for Bulgaria and the Bulgarian community in Moldova, Iotova said. In her words, this is a big gesture for the Bulgarian community and state on Moldova's part because Taraclia has fewer residents than the legally required number for an MP from this electoral constituency.

Iotova also recalled that Bulgaria was among the first countries to officially recognize Moldova as an independent state, and said Moldova is an example for observing the rights of ethnic minorities.

Speaking about the opening of the 13th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media on Thursday, Iotova said that this forum had taken place in many European capitals but it is very important for the Bulgarian side that it is welcome in Moldova for this year's edition. The participants in the event will discuss the future of media, she added.

Moldovan President Dodon said that this year marks the 25th anniversary of Bulgarian-Moldovan diplomatic relations, a period during which 47 bilateral agreements have been signed. The bilateral trade increased by 25 per cent in the first half of 2017, he added. Dodon and Iotova discussed topics related to bilateral political relations, education, and the state of Moldovan citizens of Bulgarian origins. He extended an invitation to Bulgarian President Rumen Radev to visit Moldova with a big business delegation in the coming months, and Iotova extended a similar invitation on Radev's behalf.