site.btaBTA Director General: Bulgaria Should Put Much Effort into Bessarabian Bulgarians' Inclusion, Particularly Young Ones

Bulgaria should put a lot of effort into the inclusion of Bessarabian Bulgarians, particularly young ones, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev said on Bulgarian National Television's (BNT) morning show Tuesday. He talked about the Day of Bessarabian Bulgarians, marked on October 29. 

In his words, Bulgaria has a serious demographic problem, while in Bessarabia there still are big families who speak Bulgarian and for whom Bulgaria is a dream. "We should help these children study in Bulgaria, because if they graduate in Bulgaria, they may stay here. However, we should also think about the lands they live in, about Ukraine, about the post-war time when it will have to be restored, and these people will help in the restoration of the peaceful life there," the BTA Director General said.

On October 26, BTA was among the organizers of the marking of the Day of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Odesa.  Unfortunately, noted Valchev, who since the start of the war in Ukraine has visited that country nine times, there were four air raid alerts during the celebrations. "The last one was at the end of the concert of Desi Dobreva, who despite the risks agreed to come and sing in the central city park,  opposite the BTA National Press Club; she did it free of charge, for which I am very grateful to her, together with three folk ensembles from villages in Odesa Region," Valchev told BNT.

Odesa Region is home to 150,000 Bulgarians, according to a 2001 census. Their number is actually higher, and it is worth talking about these people, Valchev said. In addition to Ukraine, Bessarabian Bulgarians live in Moldova. BTA has a correspondent in Taraclia, he recalled.

It is worth the effort Bulgaria to put more, and the country does it also through BTA, Valchev added. He recalled that the 19th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in June 2024, organized by BTA, was held in Odesa, Bolhrad, and Izmail.

Among the reasons why Bulgarians in Bessarabia cannot take active part in the political life in Bulgaria and vote in elections is, aside from the war in Ukraine, the lack of Bulgarian citizenship for some of them and the quite difficult procedures in Bulgaria for proving citizenship by origin, Valchev explained.

The BTA Director General also commented on the presentation of the latest issue of the LIK magazine at the BTA Press Club in Bucharest on Monday, dedicated to the 155th anniversary of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. In his words, more than half of the heads of this organization have held the highest positions in Bulgaria: prime ministers, National Assembly chairpersons, and MPs. "The message is that obviously it is time for Bulgarians to once again turn to the people of science and spirit to guide them," Valchev told BNT.