The peoples of Bulgaria and Israel are linked by true friendship, active partnership and mutual trust, and by the indissoluble historical and cultural bond forged by the efforts of the Bulgarian state and society to rescue Bulgarian Jews 80 years ago, President Rumen Radev said when honouring the Ambassador of the State of Israel to Bulgaria, Yoram Elron, with the Order of the Madara Horseman, First Degree.
In his speech, the President pointed out that this year various events throughout the country had marked the anniversary of the unprecedented historical act of rescuing the Bulgarian Jews as an expression of civic courage and humanism, as well as of steadfastness in defending human life and dignity in the darkest period of the Second World War. Recently, voices have been raised that seek to revise the memory of this unique act committed by Bulgaria, shifting the focus to other events that the Bulgarian state and people at that time did not have the strength and opportunity to resist, the President said. In Radev's words, it is disturbing that these attempts to revise history generate hatred and anti-Semitism, which have never had a firm ground to develop in Bulgaria. I believe that with joint efforts we will find an answer to this trend, the head of state added and highlighted Ambassador Elron's position on defending the historical truth about the dramatic events of 1943.
The close ties between the two nations find a natural expression in the strategic nature of the relations between Bulgaria and Israel, President Radev further said. This, according to him, is particularly important in the current period of severe challenges, including Russian Federation's war on Ukraine, deepening social divisions leading to a new type of political currents using hate speech, xenophobia and discrimination, growing terrorist activity, climate change, which together with the food crisis and the unresolved conflicts over the years create a risk of migratory pressure. The President expressed confidence that our countries will continue to cooperate and raise our relations to the necessary level to meet the current challenges with dignity.
Rumen Radev highlighted Yoram Elron's active efforts and dedication to developing top-level dialogue during his tenure, as well as the successes achieved by Bulgaria and Israel in their cooperation in areas such as education, culture, science, energy, environment and tourism. He also highlighted Bulgaria's very good cooperation with Israel in efforts to combat contemporary forms of anti-Semitism and to preserve Jewish heritage, which had contributed to strengthening Bulgaria's position internationally as a reliable defender of human rights.
For his part, Ambassador Yoram Elron thanked for the honour and also highlighted the strong bond between the Bulgarian and Israeli people. He stressed that Israelis and all the Jews in the world, will be forever grateful for saving the entirety of its Jews population during World War II. The diplomat also noted that "we hear voices that have a certain narrative but we know what the historical truth is:" "Brave Bulgarians from all walks of life - not just politicians, and church leaders that stood up against the deportation of Jews showing extreme courage and bravery." Ambassador Elron also highlighted the successful bilateral cooperation in economy and culture, adding that there is a confluence of many areas like cyber security, environment, energy, water management, agriculture, etc.