site.btaPresident Urges Expatriate Bulgarians to Return Home, Be Active in Political Life

New York, September 23 (BTA) - Meeting in New York Bulgarians who live and work in the United States, President Rumen Radev urged them to come back home and join actively the social and political life in their home country. "The number of Bulgarians abroad is growing and we have to do our best so that they can participate actively in the social and political processes in Bulgaria rather than being only spiritually a part of it," he said as quoted by his press secretariat.

Radev is in New York for the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly. He visited the Bulgarian General Consulate to celebrate the 111th anniversary of the Declaration of Bulgaria's Independence together with expatriate Bulgarians.

He argued that expatriate Bulgarians should have a right to participate in politics in their home country, which would encourage many to return home.

He asked them to support a change in the legislation that he has proposed, allowing Bulgarian-born people who have acquired dual citizenship in EU countries or any other of the old democracies and advanced economies, to run for Parliament, President or Vice President in Bulgaria. "Bulgarians with solid education, prestigious jobs and experience acquired in countries with advanced social, political and economic systems will be a big asset for this country," the President said.

He also said that if Bulgaria wants to be "a worthy member of the European family, it should have greater media freedom, rule of law, transparent, accountable and dependable state institutions - but most of all an active civil society empowered to exercise stronger control over, and participate in, the government of their country".

The President said that Bulgaria is certainly making headway "but the question is at what speed and in what direction". He added that unlike other former Soviet bloc countries, "Bulgaria is not a member of the Schengen zone for visa-free travel, is still under the rule-of-law monitoring and lacks strategic investors".

The head of State urged the Bulgarians in the General Consulate in New York to be more active and united, and to establish their own organization with recognition at federal level. "It will consolidate even more the Bulgarian community and energize some projects such as the opening of a direct air service between Bulgaria and the US and the scrapping of US visa requirements [for Bulgarians]."

He argued that the removal of visas will match the strategic relations with the US: "relations between allies, partners and friends".

Later on Monday, the President is scheduled to participate in the Climate Action Summit and in a high-level forum on religious freedoms organized by President Donald Trump. LN/