21/04/2025 In Bosilegrad, the President of the National Assembly Nataliya Kiselova urged the responsible institutions to support our compatriots abroad in order to preserve the[...]

The political situation should give us the opportunity to start working with our compatriots outside the country who have Bulgarian identity and citizenship, so that the Bulgarian spirit and memory can be preserved. This is what the President of the National Assembly Nataliya Kiselova said during her visit to Bosilegrad.

The President of the Parliament stressed that the ties between the Bulgarian state and our communities abroad should be stronger. The problems faced by the Bulgarians from the Western outskirts should not be focused on only during holidays and festivals, said Nataliya Kiselova. They should be the object of our attention on a daily basis, she added.

The political crisis in Bulgaria in recent years has focused our attention on domestic political issues and not enough attention has been paid to the issues Bulgarians have to solve abroad, the President of the National Assembly said.

Nataliya Kiselova recalled that in 2014 a strategy for working with Bulgarian communities abroad was adopted, and a more serious analysis of the law on Bulgarians living outside the Republic of Bulgaria since 2000 has been done only once. There is no real implementation of the law, nor is there any development of this strategy, the President of the Parliament stressed.

The Parliamentary Committee on Policies for Bulgarians outside the country has an important role and we expect it to be even more active towards all Bulgarian citizens outside the country, including those from Bosilegrad, said Nataliya Kiselova. Our brothers and sisters on both sides of the border should not forget that we are one community and we have the strength to continue living together despite the border, the National Assembly President added.

At the Cultural House in Bosilegrad, the President of the Parliament viewed the photo exhibition "Bosilegrad Before and Now". The exhibition also displays the traditional Bosilegrad regional folk costume. The photos were taken by the Bulgarian photographers Asen Velikov, Vihren Georgiev and Vladislav Chanev during the first photo workshop in Bosilegrad in the summer of 2023.

The President of the National Assembly then congratulated and awarded the participants in the 32nd Children's Easter Festival. The organizer of the festival in Bosilegrad is the correspondent of the Bulgarian Telegraphic Agency Aleksandar Dimitrov.

Natalia Kiselova also met with Ivan Nikolov, the chairman of the Bosilegrad Cultural and Information Centre.

The President of the National Assembly lit a candle in the Holy Trinity Church, built in 1833, which was painted by masters from the Samokov Icon Painting School.

The President of the Bulgarian Parliament also visited the remains of the first primary school with a religious orientation, dating from the same period. A bell from 1895, a gift to the church, still stands at its entrance.

This is a part of our past and we will see what can be done to preserve the memory of this impressive historical heritage, noted Nataliya Kiselova and thanked the hosts for the invitation to share the festive Easter day with them.

Nataliya Kiselova announced that almost 150 children from Bosilegrad and the Western outskirts will spend the summer in Bulgaria and added that she hopes the joint initiatives will continue in the future.

In the briefing, which the President of the National Assembly Nataliya Kiselova gave to the media, took part the Ambassador of Bulgaria in Serbia Petko Doykov, the Consul of Bulgaria in Nis Dimitar Tsanev and the Chairman of the Cultural Information Center in Bosilegrad Ivan Nikolov.