SPEECHES AND STATEMENTS

Address of President Rosen Plevneliev to the Participants in the Iftar Dinner on the Occasion of the Holy for the Muslims Month of Ramadan

Your Holiness,
Esteemed Mr. Chief Mufti,
Esteemed leaders of the religious communities,
Esteemed Mr. Minister,
Your Highnesses,
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honor and pleasure for me to host the solemn Iftar dinner that marks the beginning of the holy for the Muslims month of Ramadan.

For thousands of years the festive dinners in Bulgaria are shared with neighbors and friends. Therefore, according to a fine tradition, today’s holiday gathers representatives of all basic denominations, politicians, diplomats, intellectuals. I would like to welcome all of you.

The wisdom that a society is strong when it is united by the intransient strength of compassion and mercy, when it bestows compassion and kindness to the poor, to the underprivileged, to the lonely and sick lies at the basis of Ramadan.

The Bulgarian nation shows solidarity not only in words. It has proved its tolerance throughout the centuries. The Muslim community in Bulgaria is an inseparable part of this compassion and humanness. The disaster that struck us a couple of days ago showed that we, Bulgarians help each other irrespective of our religion and convictions. Thousands of contributors and volunteers lent a helping hand to unknown people in trouble. The basic denominations also set an example by together organizing campaigns for helping the people in need. The Orthodox Church, the Mufti’s Office, representatives of all religious communities opened their temples and hearts for the affected by the disaster.

I am convinced that the helping hand lent today means a helping hand lent tomorrow. That the kindness done is always repaid. Therefore I was truly impressed and moved by all those instances of compassion that we observed. The people saw how Muslim refugees offered help to restore orthodox monasteries. This is also happening today, in Bulgaria, and makes us proud of the yet another proof that solidarity is a universal value, that humanness and the helping hand lent have no religion.

I believe that such hardships help us make our lives worth living. The compassion showed to the people in trouble, the strength of the pooled efforts, the belief in kindness, the shared piece of bread, the generosity to give when you have nothing, is what makes life worth living. Wherever there is love, harmony and commitment things happen. I hope our daily lives are filled with more humanness and understanding, I hope that we will be together not only in times of hardship, but also in times of holidays. This is the only way we can live a worthy and valuable life.

Thank you for the honor I have to be together with all of you, as well as for the personal example each one of you has set.

May you be blessed with peace, happiness and prosperity.