BULGARIA

Minister defends diplomas, accuses Turks of forgery

After Turkey suspended its recognition of Bulgaria’s university diplomas, Bulgarian Education Minister Sergey Ignatov reacted last Monday by announcing that the problematic diplomas were forged by Turkish citizens, reports Sofia News Agency.

Turkey suspended the recognition of Bulgarian-issued college diplomas for an indefinite period. On the grounds that forgery of exam marks and college diplomas has reached the dimensions of organised crime in Bulgaria, its southern neighbour advised all aspiring students to refrain from applying to Bulgarian universities. The decision was made by the Turkish University Education Council, the institution accrediting foreign diplomas.

According to Ignatov's statement, however, there have been Turkish citizens forging Bulgarian university and college diplomas. Ignatov said the Bulgarian state could not bear responsibility for forgeries committed by private persons, and accused the media of provoking an international scandal by writing about the bad quality of Bulgarian education.
Full report on the http://Novinite.com site