Bulgaria, following the example of Hungary, may make demands to Ukraine on the issue of national minorities within the framework of the negotiations for Kiev's accession to the European Union. This is reported by the Ukrainian media "Suspilne", citing its diplomatic sources.
According to them, Sofia insists on receiving additional guarantees for the educational rights of the Bulgarian minority in Ukraine.
"I heard from them that the Bulgarians want to guarantee the educational rights of their minority in Ukraine. They are faced with the problem that their compatriots there usually speak Russian, and Sofia wants to develop the study of Bulgarian", reveals a European diplomat.
Meanwhile, negotiations with Hungary are also continuing. According to the media, the issue of the representation of the Hungarian minority in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) remains unresolved. This point has been postponed for now, with Budapest nevertheless agreeing to start the first round of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU.
However, the two sides have agreed to turn to the Venice Commission and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for clarification on a possible mechanism for implementing such a requirement.