Ethnic groups in Greece

А number of Bulgarian ministers and diplomats have condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for telling his Macedonian colleague George Ivanov on May 24 - the Day of Slavic Literacy - that the Cyrillic script came from Macedonia.

"The Slavic alphabet and literature came to us from Macedonian soil", Putin told Ivanov during the Macedonian President's visit to Moscow.

Greece will have to make the most of the huge opportunities presented by the major achievements of diaspora Greeks for the benefit of the local economy, according to a study by the Center of Planning and Economic Research (KEPE).

The historical memory of the Pontian Genocide remains alive, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras tweeted on occasion of National Memorial Day on May 19, for the ethnic cleansing of nearly 300,000 Pontian Greeks in the aftermath of the first World War between 1914-1923. “May 19 is a day of remembrance and respect to the Greeks of Pontos.

The following article is a summary of the events of the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontos, the memory of which the Greeks around the world honor today:

Opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday commemorated the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Black Sea, or Pontic, Greeks by Turks almost a century ago, describing the incident as a "painful chapter in our collective memory."

"We all have a duty to keep historical memory alive," Mitsotakis said in a statement.

A National Forum of Balkan States' Bulgarians under the slogan Mission-Heritage is being held in Sofia, reported the Bulgarian National Radio.

''15 million people around the entire world speak and use the Bulgarian language. Half of them are in their homeland, and the others - in other countries.'' This is what Bulgarian Vice President Iliyana Yotova said during the opening of the National Forum of Bulgarians from Balkan Countries "Mission - Heritage'', FOCUS News Agency reported.

At a meeting in Brussels with European Council President Donald Tusk, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva confirmed that European and Euro-Atlantic orientation was a top priority for the Bulgarian government, reported BNR.

The two discussed  the situation in the Western Balkans and, in particular, the latest developments in Macedonia.

Macedonian parliament Speaker Talat Xhaferi said that the Macedonian parliament and he were open for cooperation with Serbian institutions.

Inflammatory language being used by politicians "in any case aggravate bilateral relations" he said.

A Gallup International Poll Shows that 52% of the Bulgarians take very seriously what's happening in Macedonia, quoted by BNR.
Barely 1/10 of the polled say the events to the South-West are not important for this country.