Bulgaria firmly supports the right of the Ukrainian people to alone choose its road of development, its will and desire to be part of the European family. Ukraine has always been and will be an integral part of Europe – a bridge between cultures and peoples, opening up new common horizons. This is what President Rosen Plevneliev said at a solemn ceremony in Kiev, where he was presented the Person of the Year 2015 Award of Ukraine.
The Bulgarian Head of State received the prestigious award for his public and political activity in a European and international context, as well as for his contribution to strengthening the relationships between Ukraine and the international community. “This award is a recognition of Bulgaria’s consistent support for the sovereignty, independence and European prospects of Ukraine. It is a clear illustration of the sincere friendship between our countries and peoples,” Rosen Plevneliev highlighted in his statement. The President added that this high award is a sign of the recognition of the more than 250,000 ethnic Bulgarians in Ukraine, which form the biggest historical Bulgarian community abroad, which is a bridge of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
The Head of State recalled the cultural and historical links between Bulgarians and Ukrainians throughout the centuries. In the 10th century ecclesiastical and liturgical books from Bulgaria were spread in Ukraine and in 1918 our country was the first one to recognize the independence of Ukraine. The Ukrainians contributed to Bulgaria’s freedom in the “Battle of the peoples” at Varna in 1444, and also during the Russian-Turkish liberation war in 1877-1878.
In the Head of State’s words, the blatant violation of international law and sovereignty of Ukraine currently jeopardize national borders and international principles and restore the “wrong policy of division and spheres of interest in Europe.” In Rosen Plevneliev’s opinion, the aim of responsible policy is to modernize and educate, to prefer the tools of diplomacy to weapons. The meaning of politics is to empower the people, to build free and tolerant societies,” the President further said at the ceremony.
The Personality of the Year award is conferred by a supreme academic council to leaders whose professional and public activity and contribution to different spheres of the public and economic life have been recognized by the European and international community. The award was also conferred to Pope John Paul II, the President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite, the President of Poland Alexander Kwasniewski (1995-2005), the High representative of the EU for common foreign and security policy Javier Solana (1999-2009).