site.btaVice President Yotova Calls for Outright Bulgarian Reaction to Ukrainia's New Education Law

Sofia, September 14 (BTA) - Vice President Iliyana Yotova Thursday said she expects an outright reaction by the Bulgarian state institutions to a newly education law in Ukraine which she said limits the rights of minorities to study in their mother tongue. Yotova was speaking to journalists in Parliament Thursday.

Over 200,000 people of Bulgarian descent live in Ukraine.

The problem with children of Bulgarian descent, for example, means that as they cannot use Bulgarian schoolbooks after the 4th grade they will have less chances to compete with their peers when applying for Bulgarian universities, the Vice President said.

She argued that Bulgaria's reaction should be absolutely categorical at all levels.

Earlier in September, the press quoted the Foreign Ministry as expressing concern over the possible consequences of the newly-adopted legislation in Ukraine. Bulgaria is convinced of the need of a balanced policy to defend the rights of national minorities in Ukraine, including mother-tongue study, the Ministry said describing ethnic Bulgarians in Ukraine as "a bridge of friendship and cooperation between our two countries".

In a report on the matter, the Bulgarian National Radio said that Bulgaria has been assured by the Ukrainian side that the rights of the Bulgarian minority will not be harmed. This transpired from remarks by Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva after a hearing at the parliamentary foreign policy committee. Despite these assurances, Bulgaria, along with Greece, Hungary and Romania, have decided to send a joint letter to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to protest the controversial provisions of the new law, the National Radio said.