Republic of Bulgaria National Assembly

03/11/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/12/2025 00:58

11/03/2025 MP held talks with a delegation of the trustees of the Foundation of the Orthodox Churches of the Bulgarian Exarchate in Istanbul and Adrianople

MP held talks with a delegation of the trustees of the Foundation of the Orthodox Churches of the Bulgarian Exarchate in Istanbul and Adrianople

11/03/2025

with a delegation led by the chairman of the boards of trustees of the Foundation of the Orthodox Churches of the Bulgarian Exarchate in Istanbul and the Foundation of the Bulgarian Church "St. George" in Adrianople.

The Bulgarian Orthodox community in Istanbul is small, but it is making efforts to preserve the spiritual and cultural heritage of the city, Dimitry Yotef noted at the meeting. He informed the President of Parliament about the activities of the Orthodox Churches Foundation and the good cooperation it has with the Consuls General of Bulgaria in Istanbul and Adrianople. The support of the Bulgarian institutions for the preservation of the precious heritage, which we take care of, is extremely important for us, Dimitry Yotef added.

National Assembly President Nataliya Kiselova welcomed the guests to Parliament. She stressed the importance of the Bulgarian Exarchate in Istanbul both in the past and today. In the past, to preserve the Bulgarian identity, and today, to have a connection with those before us and to be able to move forward, Nataliya Kiselova said.

In the short time since its constitution, the National Assembly has had the opportunity to support the Bulgarian Orthodox Church by adopting amendments to the Religions Act, the President of Parliament stressed. The MPs assured the guests that the National Assembly appreciates the efforts of the Bulgarian Orthodox community in Istanbul and Adrianople to preserve our historical memory and will continue to support them.

The meeting at the National Assembly was attended by the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation of the Orthodox Churches of the Bulgarian Exarchate in Istanbul Hristo Kopano and the members of the Board of Trustees Ilcho Kyosev, Argyr Liaze and Yoanka Shonef, as well as the Consuls General of Bulgaria in Istanbul and Adrianople Vasil Valchev and Radoslava Kafedzhiyska.