Despite the lack of any official statistics, Bulgarians living outside the country are anywhere between 3 and 4 M people.

The information was reported Sunday by the Chair of the State Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, Rayna Mandzhukova, who is in the Black Sea capital Varna to take part in the 2nd Session of the World Parliament of Bulgarians.

Mandzhukova further informed that about 60 thousand applications for Bulgarian citizenship have been unduly delayed, adding the documents are now examined through a speedy procedure because the number of employees working on them has doubled.

In the meantime, the World Parliament of Bulgarians adopted a series of decisions to be submitted with the Bulgarian Parliament and the cabinet such as the project for a Bulgarian National Doctrine, and a request for a fast procedure to grant Bulgarian citizenship to Bulgarians in Moldova, Russia, Ukraine and some Asian countries.

The World Parliament of Bulgarians insists the State gets more involved in defending the interests of the Bulgarian Diaspora all over the world.

The session further proposed to transform the Agency into a ministry as other countries with such large Diaspora have done.

The delegates discussed the situation with the Bulgarian Muslims in the Rhodope Mountains, the Bulgarians in the Western regions, the Bulgarian communities in Romania, the Ukraine, Albania and Kosovo as well as issues related to education, school property and the building of churches.

The Parliament decided to create an Ethical Code of the Bulgarian Emigrant over the fact that Bulgarian organizations in the same foreign country often don’t maintain relationships with each other and even feud among themselves.