To celebrate our National Day, the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Canada held a reception for the diplomatic corps and the Canadian officials in Ottawa on March 5, 2024.

The event was honored by the heads of missions of the EU Member States, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Japan, India, Thailand, Israel, the Vatican, the ambassadors of the countries of the Western Balkans, the Dean of the diplomatic corps and regional Deans, representatives of the Senate and the lower house of the Canadian Parliament, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada and the non-governmental sector in Ottawa, the chairman of the Bulgarian community in the Ottawa-Gatineau Capital Region and the head of the Bulgarian folklore ensemble "Rodina" in the Canadian capital and many others.

Ambassador Plamen Georgiev welcomed the guests and highlighted the significance of this date for the formation of the modern Bulgarian state, which remains to this day the oldest state in Europe. He emphasized the development of our country in the field of high technologies and new industries, incl. the yesterday launch of the first Bulgarian GPT-model, which is at the level of the most powerful one today (GPT-4), but also shared the importance we pay to our history and cultural heritage, perceived as the essence of the Bulgarian spirit. Ambassador Georgiev shared Bulgaria's desire to deepen interaction with Canada in all fields of bilateral relations and expressed hope that in the future Canada will consider open an embassy in Sofia as well. He emphasized the challenge of living in a world where the long-forgotten pictures of the two world wars have returned back and highlighted the responsibility of the current generation not to allow the totalitarian rule to once again overshadow Europe. Particular attention was paid to the importance of NATO in containing the creeping aggression against the free world and the increasing importance of the Alliance for the regional and international security against the backdrop of Russian aggression against Ukraine. The strength of people who stand up for their values was specially highlighted - both of those who carry the weapons in the trenches of Ukraine and those who lay flowers in Moscow, paying tribute to the man who sacrificed himself for the idea of a better, fair and free Russia. Mr. Georgiev dispatched a strong message for unity - as a pledge for the stability of the democratic world against today's challenges and pointed out the need to live up to the responsibility our generation was bestowed upon - to provide a better world for the tomorrow's generations.

On behalf of Canada Mr. Robert Oliphant, Member of the Parliament, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada and member of the Canada-Bulgaria Interparliamentary Friendship Group, congratulated all Bulgarians on the holiday, highlighted the important place of Bulgaria in the common cultural and historical heritage of the allies and its increasingly important role in their security architecture. In his speech, he touched on the great potential for cooperation between our country and Canada, which still remains underappreciated by the businesses on both sides of the ocean, expressed optimism regarding future interactions in the field of high technologies, military cooperation, mutual exchange of tourists, cooperation in the field of education and culture etc. He shared excellent impressions of his visit to our country on 01.12.2023, the very successful and fruitful meetings he had at a high level in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense and the Parliament in Sofia and expressed strong optimism about the future of the relations between Bulgaria and Canada.

The guests of the celebration had the opportunity to try typical Bulgarian foods and get acquainted with our traditions. Each of them was gifted a martenitsa, handmade by the children of Bulgarian School "St. Cyril and Methodius" with the “Zornitsa” Cultural Center in the city of Montreal, province of Quebec. Those Martenitsa, representing the ancient Bulgarian tradition, dating back to the times before the Christianization of Europe, made lasting impression on the guests. In addition to the martenitsa, the guests were welcomed with the traditional Bulgarian bread, served by Bulgarian ladies, dressed in impressive national costumes.