President Rosen Plevneliev awarded the Stara Planina medal first degree to US Ambassador to Bulgaria Marcie Ries for her contribution to strengthening and developing the friendly relations between Bulgaria and the US. The US diplomat presented her letters of credence on 1 October 2012 and her mandate will finish on 28 July 2015.
The high state award is a clear sign of recognition of Ambassador Ries’ significant contribution to strengthening the strategic partnership between Bulgaria and the US, President Plevneliev said at the ceremony held in the coat of arms hall at 2 Dondukov street.
The Head of State highlighted that Marcie Ries has been head of the US embassy in Bulgaria in a period full of challenges not only on the domestic level, but also on the regional and international level. “Currently the dialogue between Sofia and Washington has reached a peak in its 112-year-old history,” Rosen Plevneliev said and highlighted the stronger cooperation between the two countries in key sectors such as security and defense, energy, the rule of law, economic cooperation, cultural and education ties. “The adopted approach in the joint work on bilateral, regional and global issues is characterized by honesty, pragmatism, understanding, friendship based on trust and by the solidarity of allies,” the President said.
Rosen Plevneliev highlighted a lot of top-level visits in Bulgaria, which took place within Ambassador Ries’ mandate, which are an example of her professionalism and her efforts to build on the bilateral relations. The President recalled that within the framework of John Kerry’s visit to Sofia in January 2015, Bulgaria and the US reconfirmed their strategic partnership and negotiated the establishment of four working groups for strategic dialogue in particularly important directions. “What lies at the basis of this approach is the two countries’ determination to work so as to ensure further strengthening of the cooperation,” Rosen Plevneliev commented. The legal agreements between Bulgaria and the US have also been enriched in the past three years, the President added.
The changed security situation in the region added a new dimension to our cooperation, more particularly in the sphere of the diversification of energy sources and in the security and defense sectors. The US is our irreplaceable ally and friend with respect to these issues, President Plevneliev said.
Ambassador Ries devoted her mandate to strengthening the rule of law and democracy and building an active civil society. I consider it symbolic that namely today a broad political consensus was reached in the Bulgarian parliament on implementing the strategic reform by adopting a nationally responsible approach, the President further said.
The Euro-Atlantic values make the cooperation between our countries meaningful on a lot of levels, Ambassador Ries said in her statement. She highlighted as a source of hope and pride her work to strengthen the principle embodied in the title “Unity makes strength.” “I will tell my successor to trust the Bulgarian people because the Bulgarian people is the future of this country and will continue its proud traditions,” the US diplomat further said.
“It is inspiring for me to work with you, Mr. President, on issues which bring closer your dignified country and mine and which strengthen democracy and encourage tolerance,” Marcie Ries said. She thanked the Head of State for the understanding that the NATO membership not only provides benefits, but also places responsibilities. “You and the Bulgarian government members have more than once demonstrated not simply commitment to the Euro-Atlantic values, but also readiness to contribute to the security of the Euro-Atlantic community,” Marcie Ries said.
A lot of representatives of the diplomatic corps in Bulgaria attended the ceremony in the Coat of Arms Hall.