2020 was a hard year that left its mark on the relations with our fellow countrymen abroad, says Bulgarian Vice President Iliana Iotova. In an interview for Radio Bulgaria she recapped the policies of the presidential institution with regard to Bulgarians living around the world.

“The first months of the pandemic brought a real shock. What we endeavoured to do was to make compensations by enhancing the ties with our communities in other countries – from the historical diasporas to the newer emigrant communities.  Because we were guided by a motive of utmost importance: wherever they may be they should feel, in these times of trial, that we are together – one people, one nation. It was hard because we were getting individual stories of how people are coping with the challenges of the crisis, how they are staying at home and are unable to even return to Bulgaria to see their parents, their children. At a time of great trial this engendered a new kind of solidarity among people who are, at first glance, strangers and this solidarity bears a Bulgarian name.”

One shouldn’t have to wait for a crisis to come along to find out what our fellow countrymen abroad are thinking, Vice President Iotova says. They each have their individual destinies, but they have never severed the bond with their country, and not just because of their families and friends:

“What we are telling them is that the trials, the crises, the protests in Bulgaria produced a new situation, a new atmosphere in which there is an enormous amount of energy, the energy of all Bulgarians, an energy for change. And if we are to make a recap of the past months of 2020, besides the anxieties, there was something very positive, and it was hope.”

I very much hope that 2021 will be a healthier year, the Bulgarian Vice President added. In her words the institution she represents will upgrade the successful virtual initiatives “Naked are all people without books” and “Bulgaria awoken” which took place last year.

The numerous problems, connected with policies towards Bulgarians abroad were defined by the expert council with the Vice President. They will have to be resolved urgently in 2021:

“First we have to provide highly-qualified Bulgarian language teachers because many of our fellow-countrymen abroad say there are no teachers of the Bulgarian language. There are a great many administrative constraints in the country and we are hoping that after the elections, with a new government, we shall be able to make that a priority,” Iliana Iotova comments. Many say they encounter problems connected with regaining their Bulgarian citizenship.

“We have many old diasporas which have, to some extent, lost this bond. Unfortunately, if you are halfway across the world there is no way to obtain this information from the Bulgarian side. We have to do something to remedy this, to make things easier for our compatriots. And most of all – the country’s cultural influence.”

As concerns the participation of Bulgarians abroad in political life in this country and the choice of a future for Bulgaria, Vice President Iotova is not optimistic:

“The National Assembly is running late with the adoption of amendments to the election legislation which, especially now in times of isolation, would enable many Bulgarians to participate effectively as voters. We have been discussing, with the President, the possibility of electronic voting for a long time – there is obviously no political will for this. And I am talking about making polling stations abroad easy of access for our compatriots. /…/ There are many Bulgarians occupying important positions in the academic circles, and they come and said: “We want to work for our country but it must change, it must become a law-governed state, a country where there are rules for everyone who wants to come and work and feel secure”. This is something I myself, and the President, came to realize in 2020, and we shall do everything we can, within the powers of our institution, to make it happen. But what is most important is that people should be active and vote.”

The months ahead of us will be hard, the Bulgarian Vice President added.

“I dream that one day we shall take a look at our own economy, at our own capabilities with the proud words: Made in Bulgaria.”

Iliana Iotova made a special video address to Bulgarians around the world at the start of 2021.