The Head of State calls in Strasbourg for preventing new divisions in Europe and countering hate speech that hinders the building of good-neighbourly relations
Bulgaria highly values its partnership with the Council of Europe in extremely important areas such as the rule of law and the protection of human rights, which are among the foundations of a civilised society and democracy. This is what President Rumen Radev said at a meeting in Strasbourg with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset. At Alain Berset's invitation, the Bulgarian Head of State is visiting the oldest European political organisation, founded after the Second World War, and successively held meetings with the Secretary General, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty and visited the European Court of Human Rights.
Radev expressed his support for the leadership of the Council of Europe to activate the core functions of the organisation in the face of numerous challenges to democracy - increasing populism and radicalisation of various social groups in Europe. He also highlighted corruption, the undermining of the rule of law and human rights, which require an urgent commitment from the responsible institutions to effectively counter them. The President pointed to education and the inclusion of young people in the values and principles of democracy as a top priority, which is the greatest advantage of the United Europe.
Bulgaria is part of the endeavour of the General Secretariat to profile topics of significant interest for Europe, such as overcoming inequalities and boosting development, solving the systemic and structural problems facing our societies, President Rumen Radev further emphasized during his talks with Alain Berset.
At his meeting with Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty, the Head of State mentioned the need to prevent new divisions in Europe. This problem is particularly acute in the region of South-Eastern Europe, where mistrust, hate speech and disregard for human rights hinder the building of good neighbourly relations and cooperation. During the meeting, the integration of the Roma community in our country was also discussed, as well as the actions of the international community in defence of the rights of people, especially children, affected by the war in Ukraine, and other topics on the agenda of Bulgaria's partnership with the Council of Europe.