Bulgarian President Calls On Moldova To Preserve Taraclia State University

CHISINAU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2022) Bulgarian President Rumen Radev discussed on Sunday with his Moldovan counterpart Maia Sandu the planned reform of the Taraclia State University in the south of the republic, calling for the preservation of the institution in its current form.

"Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, in a telephone conversation with Maia Sandu, called on the authorities of the republic to maintain the current status of this educational institution (the Taraclia State University). Sofia plans to continue providing financial support for the development of this educational institution," Radev's press service was quoted as saying by the Taraclia District Council.

Radev noted that the independence of the university is "extremely important for the Bulgarian community of the Taraclia District," to which Sandu said the issue was being discussed with representatives of the ministries of education of the two countries, and expressed the hope that they will reach a mutually beneficial agreement.

Moldovan Education Minister Anatolie Topala previously said that a reform of the education system is planned, which would result in a significant reduction of the number of universities in the country, as many of them will be merged with each other.

The reform will also affect the Taraclia State University, named after Grigory Tsamblak, which is located in the city of Taraclia in the south of the republic. The majority of the city's inhabitants are ethnic Bulgarians.

On Thursday, head of the Taraclia District Ivan Paslari told the Moldovan parliament that the university is a cultural and educational center for the Bulgarians of Moldova, which was established in 2004 by a presidential decree under a bilateral agreement between Chisinau and Sofia.

Bulgarians are the sixth largest national group in Moldova, with a total of 65,000 Bulgarians living in the republic, according to the 2004 census. The highest concentration of the Bulgarian population is in Taraclia (65.6%, or 28,500) and Bessarabia districts (5.33%), and in the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia (5.2%, or 8,000).