"Sofia, June 7 (BTA) - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva Thursday received Norwegian Ambassador Lise Nicoline Kleven Grevstad, accredited to Bulgaria, the Foreign Ministry said.

The meeting was occasioned by cases involving Bulgarian mothers resident in Norway whose children had been taken away by the child welfare service.

Zaharieva stressed at the start of the meeting that children come first in Bulgarian culture and mentality and that their place is in the family. "We are aware that each country tries to protect children""s rights according to its own rules. However, we are strongly concerned about the cases of children who are Bulgarian citizens and are taken away from their parents. We also find it perplexing that a brother and sister can be separated by hundreds of kilometres and stopped from seeing and talking with their mother, which will inevitably break their bond and tear them away from their roots and mother tongue. That is why we want to work in close cooperation with Norway""s institutions and help the affected families," she said."

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