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There are more than 80,000 Bulgarians living in Moldova, with a concentration in the southern part of the country. Most are settled in the town of Taraclia and its surrounding region. One of the key institutions established by the Bulgarian community is the Gregory Tsamblak State University, which became a branch of the Angel Kanchev University in Ruse earlier this year.
The administrative director of the branch is Alexander Borimechkov, a Bulgarian native of Taraclia. He completed his studies in Taraclia and at the universities of Ruse and Veliko Tarnovo.
Although he spent many years working in the Public Relations Department of Taraclia City Hall and later as Deputy Regional Governor, Borimechkov has always remained closely connected to the Bulgarian community and continues to work actively to address its various challenges. He now pursues this mission as chairman of the Association for the Development of the Bulgarian Community in Moldova, which was established in December 2023.
We met Mr Borimechkov at the award ceremony for an essay competition organised by Bulgarian National Radio and held in Taraclia this autumn. Our conversation focused on the importance of the Ruse University branch for the region.
The legalisation process was quick, with the branch being registered with the Registry Agency on 2 April this year. It officially opened its doors on 24 May, in the presence of the foreign ministers of Bulgaria and Moldova. Recruitment of students began in April, and today there are 175 students enrolled on bachelor's degree programmes, 70 on master's degree programmes, and five on doctoral programmes.
"Until now, Taraclia University did not offer master's or doctoral programmes. However, we have retained four of the majors that formed the core focus of the Taraclia University programme: elementary and preschool education, music education, history, and Bulgarian and Romanian languages. Three new majors have also been included: business management, computer science and automotive and agricultural engineering.
The business management and automotive engineering groups have up to 50 students each, which is significant, and we have noticed that this attracts students from southern Moldova to study at our university. We are the only university in Moldova that will award a European Union diploma. Education is also entirely free for Bulgarian and Gagauz students (a Turkic-speaking community in Moldova and Ukraine - ed.), who receive a guaranteed monthly scholarship of €120,” Borimechkov explained.
For the past two years, he has been helping his Bulgarian compatriots to overcome everyday and financial challenges through the Association for the Development of the Bulgarian Community in Moldova, which he leads.
"We have implemented many initiatives aimed primarily at supporting people on low incomes, such as pensioners, single mothers, and large families. In 2023–24, Moldova experienced energy price hikes, forcing people to spend a significant part of their income on energy. To help, we provided hot meals, firewood and essential household furniture. Last year, we also distributed nearly 5,000 boxes of essential goods to pensioners and people with disabilities."
Thanks to his friendship with Nikola Rakhnev, founder of the Gorata.Bg initiative, and with the help of around a hundred volunteers, Alexander took part in planting the first Bulgarian forest near the town of Taraclia. It is hoped that, within 10–20 years, the forest will become a popular place for local residents to walk and relax.
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