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"It is a pleasure and an honor for me to be here and to be able to personally thank you for everything you have done and continue to do not only for Ukraine, but also for the Ukrainians in Bulgaria, because our people are in your hands." This was said by the general director of the Ukrainian Red Cross, Maxim Dotsenko , who was on a two-day visit to Bulgaria. " The Bulgarian Red Cross was the first national organization to send us humanitarian aid - about 300 tons. But the main aid is what the Red Cross continues to do for the Ukrainians in Bulgaria, who are more than 70,000. And this includes not only material and financial help, but also psychological and psychosocial support, as well as training in the Bulgarian language, in order to facilitate their integration ," he added.
During his visit, Maxim Dotsenko was accompanied by the Bessarabian Bulgarian Irina Boycheva, who is the Director of "Strategic Partnerships and International Cooperation" at the URC . "It's especially exciting for me to be here, because I not only have the opportunity to express my gratitude, but also to go back to my roots, to the country of my ancestors, " she shared.
During their visit, the representatives of the Ukrainian Communist Party of Ukraine met with the National Council of the Ukrainian Communist Party of Ukraine, the chairman Academician Hristo Grigorov and the general director Prof. Dr. Krasimir Gigov, who presented the guests with an honorary plaque. At a meeting with the BRC team, the support activities for Ukrainian citizens who have received temporary protection in Bulgaria and are on the territory of the country were presented. The Chief Secretary Dr. Sofia Stoimenova and Deputy. Director General Dr. Nadezhda Todorovska emphasized the continued support for families, work on the integration of children in Bulgarian educational institutions and partnerships with various institutions and organizations. The representative of the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, James Bellamy , who leads together with the director of the Disaster Management Directorate, Yasen Slivenski, the Appeal of the BCRC in support of Ukrainian citizens in Bulgaria, financed by the IFRC/PE, presented the various directions in which carries out the support, as well as the activities related to the upcoming winter period. For his part, the General Director of the URC introduced the Bulgarian side to the activities of the organization and shared the challenges it faces.
Within the framework of the visit, Maxim Dotsenko and Irina Boycheva, accompanied by representatives of the BRC, held meetings with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Bulgaria, H.E. Olesya Ilashchuk and with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Irena Dimitrova, during which they discussed the auxiliary role of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, as well as cross-border cooperation, the importance of timely humanitarian aid, support from Bulgaria and development cooperation with in view of the large number (6 million) of internally displaced persons and those in need.
