site.btaBulgarian Language, Culture Will Continue to Be Taught in Ukrainian Schools, According to Newly Signed Bulgaria - Ukraine Cooperation Protocol

The Bulgarian language and culture will continue to be taught in schools in Ukraine, and Ukrainian students of Bulgarian origin will continue to be admitted to higher education institutions in Bulgaria on a priority basis, as per what is outlined in the initial agreement between Ministers of Education and Science of Bulgaria and Ukraine, respectively Prof. Galin Tsokov and Oksen Lisovyi, the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science said Thursday. A protocol for cooperation and exchange between the two institutions was signed for the academic years 2024/2025, 2025/2026, 2026/2027 and 2027/2028. 

"Today's act of signing the protocol on cooperation and exchange in education and science is a significant step for our two countries," Tsokov said, noting the importance for Bulgaria to continue the exchange and study in Bulgarian universities of students of Bulgarian origin from Ukraine. "In recent years, Ambassador Olesya Ilashchuk and I have done a lot to make it possible for other Ukrainian students who are not of Bulgarian origin to study at our universities," Tsokov said at the signing of the protocol, which took place online. This academic year, a total of 2,126 students and 31 PhD students from Ukraine are studying in Bulgarian universities. 

"This protocol allows us to continue the activities for the study of Bulgarian language and culture in the Bulgarian communities in Ukraine and to send lecturers and teachers to teach in these communities," the Minister added, thanking Minister Oksen Lisovyi for the assistance of the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science for the study of native Bulgarian language in Ukrainian schools. Tsokov stressed that the Ministry of Education and Science will continue to ensure that Ukrainian children in Bulgaria are successfully integrated into the Bulgarian education system. 

Minister Lisovyi also thanked for the fruitful cooperation and proposed to build on it by exchanging experiences in the field of science. A meeting of Bulgarian and Ukrainian universities is being organized to outline measures for cooperation in the field of science in areas such as high technology and artificial intelligence, as well as for the various European programmes such as Horizon and Erasmus+. 

The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Bulgaria Olesya Ilashchuk, the Director of the International Cooperation Directorate at the Ministry of Education and Science Veselina Ganeva and the Third Secretary at the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dobrin Stanev. The protocol signed by Minister Galin Tsokov is to be sent to Ukraine and the one with Minister Lisovyi's signature is to be sent to Bulgaria so that the two ministers sign one more protocol and the documents enter into force.