Residents of the western Bulgarian village of Kovachevtsi have issued a declaration demanding that the immigrants accommodated at the National Children Ecological Complex leave by October 30.

The declaration was adopted by the local Municipal Council, which held an extraordinary sitting on Monday after a protest over the decision to admit children of immigrants to the school in the village of Kalishte.

Ventsislav Todorov, Chair of the Kovachevtsi Municipal Council, informed that the declaration would be sent to the President, Prime Minister, the Education Minister, and the Chair of the State Agency for Refugees and the District Governor of Pernik.

"We oppose integration in a situation where Bulgarians are a minority, while Somali and Afghan nationals without refugee status are a majority," he explained, as cited by the Bulgarian National Radio.

He pointed out that there were 2 local first-graders and seven children of Somali and Afghan parents who wanted to study with them.

According to reports of the municipal administration, 18 children have been enrolled in classes at the school in Kalishte and 12 children of foreign nationals are also seeking to attend classes there.

The new school year in Kalishte started on September 15 with a protest of parents who threatened to pull their children out of the school if the children from the refugee center were allowed to attend classes.