SOFIA, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador Scholarships were handed out to 21 Bulgarian students from four universities on Friday for their outstanding study of Chinese.
"This scholarship program will help the prosperous development of Chinese language education in Bulgaria and breathe new life into the friendship between China and Bulgaria," Chinese Ambassador to Bulgaria Dai Qingli said at an awarding ceremony at the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria.
She said the Chinese language has become a bridge for friendship between the two countries, and expressed her wish that all the students can fulfill their dreams, actively participate in the cultural exchange between China and Bulgaria, and enhance friendship between the two countries.
Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and China, Nikolaj Vitanov, Bulgaria's deputy minister of education and science, expressed hope that "our successful cooperation will continue and we will achieve better results."
Anastasia Bazhak, a student from Sofia University and scholarship receiver, told Xinhua that she is very interested in learning Chinese, and this award would enable her to study the language better.
Another scholarship winner, Betizhe Akova from Veliko Turnovo University, said she would go to China for a four-year study next month, and this scholarship would certainly help her future studies there.
