Bulgaria Slams Ukraine For Canceling the Status of Bulgarian Language

The Bulgarian government is dissatisfied with Ukraine's decision to cancel the recognition of Bulgarian language as regional language.

Earlier this week Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada canceled the State Language Policy Act, which was granting the status of “regional language” to the language of minority groups who make up more than 10% of the residents in an area.

Compact Bulgarian communities live in some areas of the Bessarabia region in southern Ukraine, mostly in Artsiz, Izmail and Bolgrad. There Bulgarian was granted the status of a regional language.

Another regional language in some parts of Ukraine was Russian.

Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin raised the language issue with Ukraine's ambassador in Sofia and at the meeting in Budapest of the Foreign Ministers of the Visegrad Group - Bulgaria, Romania and Greece.

“The current political leaders in Ukraine must demonstrate responsibility and strive for inclusion of all groups in the Ukrainian society with respect for human rights and the rule of law”, said Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry in a statement on its website.