Stara Zagora will support Ukraine culturally with exhibitions and film screenings

Ukraine has a huge interest in the activation of bilateral relations at all levels and is extremely grateful to the Republic of Bulgaria for its help, the deputy ambassador of Ukraine to our country, Anna Tertychna, pointed out at a meeting in Stara Zagora Municipality.

Stara Zagora reminds me of the typical Ukrainian cities with many green parks, many trees, with extremely clean air and a calm pace of life, which in modern conditions are really valuable. When I was preparing for the visit, I learned that you have a cooperation agreement with the wonderful Ukrainian city of Byala Tsrkva, and I very much hope that we will be able to make it live in the new conditions despite everythingadded Mrs. Tertychna.

More than 1,600 Ukrainians live in Stara Zagora and the region, and in such places we generally find Ukrainian bookshelves in libraries, with which we help our compatriots and their children, the deputy ambassador announced. She offered further assistance in cultural terms with the organization of exhibitions, screenings of documentaries and feature films.

The municipality of Stara Zagora reacted quickly and made it possible for the Ukrainian refugees to be accommodated in several places, one of which is in our social housing for permanent use, Deputy Mayor Pavlina Delcheva recalled. Currently, there are 64 Ukrainian refugees there – that’s 31 families with 22 children.

Fortunately, we had no problems here with unaccompanied children or people with serious illnesses. The refugees have adapted to the conditions in Stara Zagora, most of them work, their children attend kindergartens and schools, and two of them are about to be enrolled in a nursery school. They work in construction, in hotels, restaurants, the food industry, we have a special pedagogue and psychologist, a social assistant and a dental assistant, Ms. Pavlina Delcheva listed. The problem with the recognition of their diplomas is not only in Stara Zagora, work is being done to arrange address registrations so that they can use various services, receive their pensions and open bank accounts.

We are happy to live in a country where peace reigns and we have a chance for good development in recent years. This prosperity and peaceful existence does not make us selfish, on the contrary, it allows us to empathize with the problems of your country and help it to face this aggression from which your people have been suffering for 2 years and 2 months nowthe director of the European Programs and Protocol Directorate, Georgi Simeonov, noted in turn.

He pointed out that our city is developing well economically. Here is the Maritsa-East complex, and in the context of the green policies of the European Union and the green deal, difficulties are ahead, mainly how the transition to clean energy will be carried out and what will result from the cessation of the use of coal.

Our efforts will be focused on alternative businesses and employment and attracting new investors and companies. So keeping our city alive after the transition to clean energy will be a huge challenge for both local government and politicianspointed out to Ambassador Georgi Simeonov.

The purpose of the visit of the deputy ambassador of Ukraine to our country was the opening of an exhibition Solidarity with Ukraine! The horror of the war against Ukraine in photos and children’s drawings. The exhibition is located in the Military Club – Stara Zagora and can be viewed until April 26, 2024.

We want to increase the interest of young people and the public in this war, to see that this is not a virtual game, but a real loss of human destinies. We have conducted over 1,500 interviews in support of Ukraine against the massive disinformation campaign and want to use our expertise to quell it as much as possibleannounced Col. (retired) Vilis Tsurov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Union of Atlantic Reserve Officers.

He recalled that the largest number of ethnic Bulgarians in the whole world live in Ukraine and some of them are also at the front.