Brussels. At an international donor conference hosted by the Open Society Institute, the World Bank and the European Economic and Social Committee, donors swung their financial support behind education for the Roma, Europe's largest minority population. The EUR 25.5 million in funding commitments announced by donors today is targeted for the Roma Education Fund (REF) and will provide the essential ingredients needed for children to succeed in school: scholarships, school meals, teacher training and academic support. The added financial support will also help governments develop stronger national policies for Roma inclusion.
Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov answered questions by journalists concerning the rightist parties’ call for impeachment, the political debate, future of the Bulgarian ambassadors to the U.S. and Turkey.
“I confess I planned to save myself the commentaries and polemics but the gloves are off – and I do not mean only the unacceptable tone. I mean that the international field has been used for attacks against president’s institution”, President Georgi Parvanov said at a briefing on Thursday.
Parvanov reminded that no one has ever dared to say a word about internal issues concerning Bulgaria when being abroad.
“What happens over the last days is ridiculous both from legal and political point of view. There were around 5-6 attempts to oust the president over arguments, which we now hear from political parties. The goal is obvious – to keep high oppositional pathos. But these are parties in the government. It is hard to be in the power and to have oppositional elements in the government at one and the same time”, the president said.
“At the forum with young people we never mentioned a name of a person from the government or from any political party. The fact that someone regards the general evaluations as personal ones is a matter of their own concern”, added President Georgi Parvanov.
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