Minister Georg Georgiev Inaugurates the First Bulgarian University in Taraclia, Moldova
24 May 2025 News
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr Georg Georgiev, inaugurated the first Bulgarian university in the city of Taraclia, Moldova.
Bulgaria’s top diplomat visited the city to mark the Day of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius, the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture, and Slavic Literature.
On this brightest holiday Minister Georgiev began his two-day working visit to Moldova in Taraclia, where, together with his Moldovan counterpart Mihai Popşoi, he took part in the official ceremony for the opening of the Taraclia branch of "Angel Kanchev" University of Ruse. He also laid flowers at the commemorative plaque honouring the creators of the Bulgarian alphabet, and attended the festive celebrations.
In his address to the Bulgarian community, Georg Georgiev emphasised that this was a historic day for Taraclia and for the Bulgarian community in the Republic of Moldova. With the opening of the branch of "Angel Kanchev" University of Ruse in the city, the doors of the first Bulgarian institution of higher education outside Bulgaria are now open, increasing numbers of young people access to high-quality education aligned with European standards. He expressed confidence that the new Bulgarian university in Taraclia would contribute to affirming the city’s role as a cultural and spiritual centre of Bulgarian identity in the Republic of Moldova.
"I am convinced that today, united by the strength of Bulgarian spirituality and grounded in traditional Bulgarian values and shared universal human and European virtues, we can jointly build the shared future of our two countries in an environment of security, prosperity, solidarity, and unity in our diversity," Minister Georgiev stated.
"To all of you, who deeply carry the Bulgarian language, traditions, and culture within yourselves and have passed them on to future generations for centuries – know that in the face of the branch of Ruse University in Taraclia, the Bulgarian state, and in our Moldovan friends, you have institutions that fully support everything you uphold," he concluded.
In 2024, the Moldovan authorities approved the transformation of Taraclia State University "Grigore Tamblac" into a branch of "Angel Kanchev" University of Ruse. This new academic institution was successfully registered under current Moldovan law on 2 April 2025, becoming a vivid testament to the fact that the European integration of the Republic of Moldova serves as a strong and favourable factor not only for the development of bilateral political dialogue, but also for creating optimal conditions for the realisation of the ethno-cultural rights of the Bulgarian national minority—particularly in the field of education.
The Taraclia branch of the University of Ruse is the first independent Bulgarian higher education institution to be established outside the country in the history of Bulgarian higher academia.
While in Taraclia, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister also met with representatives of the local administration and mayors of settlements within the Taraclia district with a predominant Bulgarian population. Discussions focused on key aspects of cooperation with Bulgaria and support for implementing socially significant projects of high added value for the Bulgarian national minority.
The city of Taraclia is the administrative centre of the district, comprising the highest number of settlements – 26 in total – with concentrated Bulgarian populations. In most of the 24 villages and the two towns (Taraclia and Tvarditsa) in the district, Bulgarians constitute more than 50% of the local population. Overall, 66.1% of the population in the Taraclia district identify as ethnically Bulgarian.
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