During the official meeting which was held on May 31, 2016, rectors Volodymyr Melnyk and Zaprian Kozludzhov signed an agreement on academic cooperation between the two higher education institutions.
The Counsellor of the Embassy of Bulgaria in Ukraine (Petar Tanev), the Dean of the Faculty of Philology of Lviv University (Sviatoslav Pylypchuk) and the Head of the Department of Slavic Philology (Alla Tatarenko) attended the meeting.
According to the text of the agreement, both universities aim to develop cooperation in various areas of university life involving joint research, training young teachers and scientists, exchange of students, participation in scientific events, share teaching materials, joint publications and other forms of exchange of scientific and pedagogical experience.
Ukrainian-Bulgarian collaboration between the Universities of Lviv and Plovdiv also provides for cooperation in university policy and management with the aim of exchanging experiences and establishing relationships between libraries of both universities.
According to Rector Volodymyr Melnyk, signing of the agreement is the beginning of a new stage of long-term cooperation between Lviv National University and Plovdiv University following the samples of other university partners (Veliko Tarnovo and Sofia Universities). The Rector said that Lviv University has considerable achievements in Bulgarian studies. He presented to the Plovdiv colleague the latest editions in the Bulgarian language, literature, culture and history written by our university’s researchers.
Lviv University has been cooperating with Bulgarian universities and research institutions for more than 35 years. Within this period, our teachers have established close contacts with Bulgarian colleagues.
The Head of the Department of Slavonic Philology, Alla Tatarenko, said that in 1978, the department launched the speciality “the Bulgarian language and literature”. To her opinion, the Bulgarian language is one of the most promising for the study of Slavic languages. About 30 students of Lviv University study the Bulgarian language.
The Rector of Plovdiv University, Zaprian Kozludzhov, told about the plans for the future academic collaboration, special interest aroused prospective development of the Ukrainian studies in the second largest university in Bulgaria. He thanked colleagues for a high level of development of Bulgarian studies at Lviv University and expressed hope for further effective cooperation between the academic communities of both universities.
It’s worth adding that on May 31, 2016, the agreement on cooperation between Lviv and the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv was signed at the City Hall.