Bulgarians from the Western Outlands gathered in Sofia this morning to discuss the problems they face, at a round table held in the conference hall of the Hotel Rila.

Angel Dzhonev, head of the Western Outlands research institute, opened the event and said one of the institute's main jobs is to study and tell the Bulgarian public about the political, economic, cultural, educational and religious problems Bulgarians in Serbia face today.

Scholars and experts from Sofia University, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and other institutions attended, along with staff from the cultural and information centre in Tsaribrod and members of the Bulgarian community in the Western Outlands. Edwin Sugarev, Bulgaria's consul general in Nis from 2016 to 2020, also took part.

The speaker of parliament, the head of parliament's education and science committee, and the Bulgarian embassy in Belgrade sent greetings. They said the community's historical memory, national identity and cultural heritage must be protected, and promised support for future projects.