NEWS

Rosen Plevneliev: Terror will not distract us from the goal of tolerance, peace and prosperity

The President attended the memorial ceremony for the victims of the bombing in Bourgas

The fight against terrorism is a common cause of the democratic world, and only together can we prevent such violent hatred and ensure that no one again need experience the horror that the relatives of the victims had experienced in such a terrible way. This was said by President Rosen Plevneliev at a memorial ceremony marking 40 days since the death of victims of the terrorist attack in Burgas on July 18 2012. At Central Sofia Synagogue, the President laid flowers and bowed before the memory of the victims of the bombing, which killed one Bulgarian and five Israeli civilians.

The President emphasised that the long-term peaceful co-existence of different religions and communities in Bulgaria is a great achievement of the Bulgarian people. “We firmly uphold the principles of democracy and will not allow the escalation of terrorism, xenophobia, racism, anti-Semitism or other forms of discrimination and inhumanity,” the President underlined.

Writing in a book of condolences in memory of those who died, the President again expressed his deep sympathy to the families and relatives of the victims of the tragedy in Bourgas. "The peoples of Bulgaria and Israel, as well as the entire democratic world will not let terror and fear divert us from our primary purpose - tolerance, peace and prosperity for our peoples and for all mankind,” the President wrote.

Speaking to reporters after the memorial ceremony, President Plevneliev said that he expected that by September 15, the authorities responsible would report on the investigation of the terrorist act in Bourgas. According to the President, the attack was very well planned, but there is a strong political commitment of all those involved in the investigation and the perpetrators will be found. “Bulgaria must reach its own conclusions, and act appropriately and flexibly after the bombing in Bourgas," he said, adding that at the most recent meeting of the Consultative Council on National Security, the Presidency made possible a national consensus on the measures necessary after the attack, as disclosed in a statement after the meeting.

The memorial ceremony at Sofia Synagogue was attended by Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon, relatives of the victims of the Bourgas attack, ministers, the mayor of Sofia, the Ambassador of Israel to Bulgaria, the management of the Shalom Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria and the Central Israelite Spiritual Council, along with many citizens.