Deputy Prime Ministers Ekaterina Zaharieva of Bulgaria and Andrei Galbur of Moldova inaugurated a Bulgarian Consulate in Taraclia
31 October 2017 News
Deputy Prime Ministers and Foreign Affairs Ministers Ekaterina Zaharieva of Bulgaria and Andrei Galbur of Moldova inaugurated a Bulgarian Consulate in the Town of Taraclia.
“You will have a 24/7 link to the motherland,” Deputy Prime Minister Zaharieva told the hundreds of compatriots from the district who gathered in front of the building of the mission above which the flags of Bulgaria and of the European Union already fly. The Consulate will open for business tomorrow. The consular district covers the territories of the districts of Taraclia, Cahul, Cantemir, Basarabeasca and the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Găgăuzia. Initially, the Consulate will be staffed by one diplomat (consul) and one technical employee. The mission has state-of-the-art equipment for biometric data collection up to Schengen standards.
“The idea is that this mission will not just provide administrative services but will also be a centre of culture. I hope that Bulgarian business will be motivated to come and invest here and create jobs,” the Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister said at the inauguration ceremony. Zaharieva wished that after some time the anthem of the European Union will sound here alongside the national anthems of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova.
“You are happy people because you have two wonderful motherlands: Bulgaria and Moldova. I hope that your erstwhile motherland will be ever closer to you,” the chief Bulgarian diplomat said, addressing the residents of Taraclia. “I am grateful to my Moldovan colleague Andrei Galbur for his full cooperation for the opening of the consulate. I am grateful to you for keeping the Bulgarian spirit and language alive. I call on you to support the Moldovan Government’s efforts for the country’s European integration because membership of the European Union is the best thing that has happened to Bulgaria.”
Ekaterina Zaharieva said she was proud that the first Bulgarian university abroad was in Taraclia. She pledged Bulgaria’s help to our compatriots in Moldova not only by granting scholarships for instruction at higher schools but also by financing various infrastructure-upgrading projects within the framework of official development assistance. So far, Bulgaria has invested nearly 380,000 euro in such projects in the Taraclia District.
Zaharieva said she was glad that Bulgarian media were present in Taraclia: a Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Press Club and Radio Focus terrestrial broadcasting. As from next week, people in Southern Moldova will be able to tune up to the Hristo Botev Programme of the Bulgarian National Radio as well, and Radio Focus will apply for licence for the capital Chişinău, too.
“It is a pleasure being here together with Minister Zaharieva. Our purpose is to facilitate the Bulgarian community in Moldova to live as comfortably as possible here, to feel a part of us but, at the same time, to preserve its Bulgarian culture and customs,” said Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Andrei Galbur. He declared that the Republic of Moldova is open to Bulgarian investors. Andrei Galbur stressed that, thanks to an amendment to election legislation, the residents of Taraclia will be able to elect their own member of Parliament at the parliamentary elections next year because a separate single-member constituency was established for the district.
“Our district has a population of 45,000, of whom 65 per cent are Bulgarians. We have a theatre, a chitalishte, a university, a folk ensemble, five wine-making and brandy-making enterprises, a bread-making plant which produces 150,000 bakery products daily, two free-trade zones, and an international transport cluster. Five tailoring workshops will open shortly on Bulgarian investments, which will create 500 new jobs,” said District Administration Head Kiril Tatarlî. He hopes that the new Bulgarian Consulate would help promote trade contacts between the two countries as well.
Between 2011 and 2016 alone, 31,005 residents of Moldova were granted Bulgarian citizenship. The Bulgarian minority status allows our compatriots to hold dual nationality.
In 2015, acting in close cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme, Bulgaria launched and financed two development cooperation projects in Taraclia: a Clean Water Project, envisaging the construction of eight water treatment facilities in eight settlements, and Repair of the Roof of the Dormitory of the Gregory Tsamblak State University in the Town of Taraclia. The financing of the projects totalled 537,853 leva.
In 2016, six new projects were launched on funds provided by the Bulgarian budget: remodelling of the House of Culture in the Village of Valea Perjei, Taraclia District; reconstruction of the water supply system in the Village of Chirsova, Comrat Municipality, Autonomous Territorial Unit of Găgăuzia; partial repair of the façade and replacement of the doors and windows of the Sunshine Kindergarten in the Village of Cairaclia, Taraclia District; overhaul of the catering unit and replacement of the electric wiring system of the Iskra Kindergarten in the Village of Corten, Taraclia District; remodelling of the heating system at the Ivan Vazov Secondary School in the Village of Stoianovca, Cantemir District; repair of dance and concert halls at the College of Music in the Town of Tvardiţa, Taraclia District.
In 2017, the Office of the People’s Advocate (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Moldova expressed interest in obtaining financial support for building the institution’s administrative capacity. A detailed project proposal will be received shortly and will be proposed for financing by a Council of Ministers decision.
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