SPEECHES AND STATEMENTS

Statement Made by President Rosen Plevneliev at the Opening of the 38th Consultative Meeting of the Antarctic Treaty Nations

Esteemed Mr. Raychev
Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen Delegates,
Dear Researchers,

Welcome to Bulgaria. Welcome to the country of roses and the most healthy yogurt, the country of a talented and hospitable people, which established one of the oldest states in Europe more than 1,300 years ago. It is an honor to us to host the current forum. Our country ratified the Antarctic Treaty in 1978, and since 1998 has been a full member. I take pride in the fact that Bulgaria is among the few East European countries which has its own scientific base on the ice-covered Continent. Our base is on the Livingston Island, which our researchers share with a lot of scholars from other countries every polar season.

The 38th consultative meeting, which we are opening today in Sofia, is held only a couple of months after we marked 55 years since the Antarctic Treaty was signed. It is an international treaty of historical significance for preserving one of the most valuable reserves for humankind – Antarctica.  The countries under the treaty have different legal systems and forms of government, have diverse national, religious and cultural traditions. However, all of us are united by one common aim – to freely conduct scientific research in Antarctica, to meet the scientific interests and ensure the prosperity of our global world.  

The international documents adopted by the Antarctic System Treaty and its specialized bodies for governing its activities succeeded in creating something unique – governing the scientific research system in the most efficient way, a system open to the scientific projects of teams from each scientific sphere so that they can share the results achieved. At the same time a network for scientific exchange and joint work should be established, which provides an opportunity for revolutionary discoveries – the basis for developing new technologies, which are based on bold decisions and visions and on the results of the projects, activities should be carried out on the ice-covered continent which ensure a sustainable and wonderful Planet Earth.

The Antarctic system is among the best examples of successful international cooperation. The fundamental values of the Antarctic Treaty include using it above all for peaceful aims, demilitarization of the south polar region and international cooperation, which will guarantee full freedom of the scientific research and exchange of information and which will create the only continent on our planet on which there are no military actions and which is mostly designed to conduct scientific research, to protect the environment and unique eco-systems.

Climate changes are the first items on the world agenda, together with the shortage of resources and the implementation of new technologies which are in conformity with nature. Nature constantly reminds us that it is high time we took actions. We should adjust our priorities to the planet and our children. In the autumn of 2014, at a meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations, I quoted the words of a wise person: “We have not inherited this land from our ancestors, but have borrowed it from our children.” These words are more than ever topical today. We are facing serious challenges and we should not wait, postpone or shift the responsibility to the next government or generation. We can achieve sustainable growth only if we cooperate, pool efforts and share a common will.

Antarctica is a strategic region. The majority of the member states of the Antarctic Treaty are the countries with the most well-developed economy, industry and science in the world. The contribution every country makes, regardless of its size, regardless of how strong its economy is, is important. It is invaluable in achieving our common aim – it is possible to preserve the environment clean and preserve the animal species and plant life by implementing innovative methods.

For quite some time already cooperation has not been a matter of choice, but of necessity. No single nation, irrespective of its political will and economic strength, can alone cope with the global issues and challenges. A shared long-term vision and aims are necessary to strengthen cooperation. Joint forums, such as the consultative meeting of the Antarctic Treaty nations and also the meeting of the Environment Protection Committee have not only the potential, but also the energy to come up with good and commonly acceptable solutions.

The Republic of Bulgaria is an active full member of the Antarctic Treaty. The teams of 23 Bulgarian polar expeditions worked together with scholars from leading countries who signed the Treaty in the distant 1959. Our country enjoys a good reputation and is a trusted partner in all international scientific programs.

Research conducted not only by the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute is carried out in the Bulgarian St. Kliment Ohridski scientific polar base. Scholars from Spain, Portugal, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Argentina, Chile, the United States, Canada, Mongolia, Turkey, Luxemburg and the Republic of Macedonia have worked in our base on joint international projects with their Bulgarian counterparts.

The results of the scientific projects they run are important not only for the present, but also for the future of our planet. The discoveries made within the framework of the scientific projects on studying global climate changes are valuable for addressing the priorities in different scientific fields. In an international context, also important are the results concerning the local climate changes. The seismological and geomorphological research conducted in the Bulgarian base provided the opportunity to come up with new general regularities about the geological evolution of the Gondwana continent. A lot of articles have been published in renowned scientific journals and editions. A lot of Bulgarian geologists, geo-morphologists, geo-physicists, biologists, glaciologists have taken part in national and international research projects related mainly to research focused on climate changes. The Bulgarian scholars contribute to solving global scientific problems.

It is a great privilege and responsibility to me as President to name sites after the ice-covered continent. More than 535 geographical sites in Antarctica bear Bulgarian names. A big part of them are unique.

Extremely important not only for the Bulgarian, but also for world alpinism is the climbing and accurate measuring of the height of Great Needle Peak in the Tangra mountain on the Livingston island made during the last Antarctic season. Equally important is the climbing and accurate measuring of the height of a peak named after Bulgaria’s capital, the wonderful city of Sofia, by the alpinists Doichin Boyanov, Nikolay Petkov and Alexander Shopov during the 23rd Bulgarian expedition to the ice-covered continent. The results achieved by the 23rd Bulgarian expedition (2014-2015) within the framework of the international project on studying the frozen soil are a step ahead in getting to know the climate changes better.

As Head of State I actively support the Bulgarian scientific Antarctic program. Committed to the cause for the better development of our country and the region, I support the scholars and institutions working to solve the global problems. I am happy to see so many young, competent and ambitious ministers who are together with you today and who represent the Bulgarian government and its vision and willingness to support this research. The participants in the Bulgarian polar expeditions are fully assisted in their missions by the institution I head, as well as by the first state institutions. Proud of the achievements of our scholars, every autumn I hand over the national flag to professor Pimpirev for the next expedition.

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

The Republic of Bulgaria will expand its cooperation with the other scientific teams and will continue to actively participate in the scientific Antarctic program. We have set the priority to ensure close cooperation with all other countries in support of the aims of the Antarctic Treaty to assist science, scientific research and sustainable growth.

I believe all of us share a common cause – to preserve this unique continent. Therefore I am proud that Bulgaria is hosting the current forum. The latter is also an acknowledgement of the success of the Bulgarian Antarctic scientific program and the value of the achieved results. The current forum has also made the dream come true of one of the great Bulgarians and polar researchers professor Pimpirev, chair and founder of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and head of the Bulgarian Antarctic expeditions. A great scholar who has a big heart for Planet Earth and its remarkably beautiful ice-covered continent.

I wish you successful and constructive work!