Bulgaria strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons against the peaceful population in Syria. This is absolutely unacceptable and those who are to blame for this should be punished. This is what President Rosen Plevneliev said at a meeting with the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon in New York. Foreign Minister Christian Vigenin also attended the meeting. The Head of State is on a working visit to the United States to take part in the 68th session of the UN General Assembly.
The Head of State has informed Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that the number of Syrian citizens, seeking protection in Bulgaria is increasing. The capacity for accommodating refuges in Bulgaria has almost been exhausted and additional opportunities for that are sought. Our country also relies on the assistance of the international community in this situation, the Head of State emphasized.
Secretary General Ban defined the events unfolding in Syria as a tragedy. The humanitarian crisis is enormous and the number of refugees has reached five million people. The number of people who have settled in different places has reached two million, Ban emphasized during the talk.
The UN will work together with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) so that the stockpile of chemical weapons in the Arab country be brought under control and destroyed. Ban Ki-moon has voiced his support for seeking a political solution to the Syrian crisis. The OPCW executive council is due to approve the Kerry-Lavrov plan, after which the UN Security Council will pass a resolution.
For the first time in almost thirty years Bulgaria will chair the Committee on human rights and social issues, it further became clear during the meeting.
Ban Ki-moon reiterated his high assessment of the performance of the Bulgarians working in the UN and the Head of State confirmed Bulgaria’s support for the nomination for a second term in office as UNESCO director general of Irina Bokova.
During the first day of his working visit to the United States, the President together with his compatriots in New York commemorated the anniversary of the declaration of Bulgaria’s independence.
Before the Bulgarian community Rosen Plevneliev recalled the historical events that unfolded 105 years ago and called on the Bulgarians, no matter where they are, to remember their history and its lessons.
The President informed our compatriots about the work on the national program for Bulgaria’s development up till 2020 and again emphasized the necessity to promptly implement e-governance in Bulgaria. The President once again expressed hope that if this is done, electronic voting will be successfully introduced in Bulgaria, which serves the interests of our compatriots abroad.
The Bulgarians in New York also raised the issue about dropping the visas for the Bulgarian citizens visiting the US.
On the second day of his visit to the US, President Rosen Plevneliev will take part in the opening ceremony of the summit on achieving the Millennium Development Goals and other development goals coordinated on an international level which concern the disabled.