Bulgarian Turks welcome apology on assimilation

Representatives of the Turkish community have welcomed a declaration by the Bulgarian parliament that condemned the forced assimilation policy used against Turks in Bulgaria during the 1980s by the former communist regime.

Speaking on behalf of the Turkish community in Bulgaria, Rafet Ulutürk, head of the Bulgarian Turks Culture Association, said the declaration was an important step. “It is an exciting, though belated, development,” he said.