Friendship and shared values are the foundation on which relationships are built and it is in this way that the co-operation has developed between Bulgaria and Israel, President Rosen Plevneliev told his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres on being welcomed at a ceremony today in Jerusalem.
President Plevneliev is on a state visit to Israel. His delegation includes Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov, the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Office, Roumyana Bachvarova, and the chairman of the State Commission on Information Security, Tsveta Markova.
“Bulgaria may be shared with all its partners as an example of a country where people succeed in their battle for a better life with kindness, with tolerance, wisdom of the ages and with a clear sense that we ourselves have to produce our hard-earned future. Today Bulgaria's achievements are recognised and our country is a member of a family of democratic European countries,” President Plevneliev said.
In his speech, the President emphasised that there is considerable potential for enhanced economic co-operation and increased Israeli investment in Bulgaria. “Israel has a leading role in the field of high technology and this makes it the preferred partner for our country in the implementation of projects with high added value,” the President said. He said that he expected that the existing trust and active political dialogue between the two countries would lead to the implementation of more joint projects in the fields of culture, tourism and industries of the future.
In 2013, Bulgaria and Israel will jointly celebrate the 70th anniversary of the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews from the death camps during World War 2. In the words of President Plevneliev, it will be an occasion to pay tribute both to the victims of the Holocaust and to honour the power of the human spirit, humanity and tolerance. “We would be honoured to have you as our guest in Sofia and let us together celebrate the upcoming anniversary,” President Plevneliev told his counterpart Shimon Peres.
“Bulgaria is highly valued by Israel and we will never forget that it was there that many thousands of Jews were saved from the Nazis. It is a country of hospitality and honest people and we can see these qualities in great Bulgarian emigrants in the country,” President Peres told the Bulgarian Head of State.
President Peres underlined that the special relationship of friendship and co-operation between Bulgaria and Israel should continue. He said that the Middle East can learn from the road traveled by Bulgaria and other Balkan countries. “After such a significant change could happen in the Balkans, we should not despair and assume that the cessation of violence in the Middle East is impossible,” President Peres said. He thanked President Plevneliev for the support of Bulgaria after the bombing at Bourgas Airport. “I appreciate what you and your Bulgarian government security forces did in this case,” President Peres said.
Later today, President Plevneliev will meet the Speaker of the Knesset, Reuven Rivlin. On the first day of his state visit to Israel, President Plevneliev, will visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.