site.bta35 Ukrainian Refugees Settle in Gourkovo

35 Ukrainian Refugees Settle in Gourkovo

Stara Zagora, Southern Bulgaria, April 28 (BTA) - Thirty-five
refugees fleeing the horrors of the war in Ukraine have settled
in the central Bulgarian town of Gourkovo in a month,
businessman Kolyo Atanassov told BTA on Tuesday.

Early in March, Atanassov, who is a descendant of Bessarabian
Bulgarians from Ukraine, and Gourkovo Mayor Stoyan Bonev
announced that the town can receive refugees from Ukraine and
offer them shelter and jobs.

Those who have arrived include two families with four children
each, the youngest of them being just nine months old. Some of
the Ukrainians have no money at all. Most of the men hold one or
 more university degrees and half of them speak Bulgarian. There
 are engineers and a university teacher.

All settlers are accommodated at local people's homes in
Gourkovo, and Atanassov has seen to it that they have a
livelihood. Some of the children attend kindergarten. More
families are expected to arrive by the end of April.

Atanassov says there are three problems: the problem of
long-term residence status, the right to work, and accelerated
visa procedures. They can only be solved through legislative
changes, he said.

The issues were discussed at a working meeting at Gourkovo Town
Hall on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by Mayor Stoyan Bonev
and Ukrainian MP Anton Kisse.