A solemn celebration of the National Day of the Republic of Bulgaria - March 3 - took place in the large concert hall of the Frederic Chopin University of Music in Warsaw.
07 March 2024 News
On March 1, 2024, a solemn celebration of the National Day of the Republic of Bulgaria – March 3rd – took place in the large concert hall of the Frederic Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. The event was jointly organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Republic of Poland and the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Warsaw and included a ceremonial part and a concert by the distinguished Bulgarian pianist Lyudmil Angelov, followed by a cocktail party.
In her speech to the guests, Ambassador Margarita Ganeva noted the significance of March 3rd, 1878, in the context of restoring Bulgaria’s place on the geographical and political map of the world. She noted that Bulgaria and Poland have a similar, very difficult fate, going through hundreds of years of heroic national liberation struggle for freedom, the right to self-determination and democracy.
Historical dates and personalities connect us throughout the centuries. This year marks the 580th anniversary of the Battle of Varna (1444), which the Polish King Władysław III Jagiełło led for the freedom of Christian peoples, including the Bulgarians. According to official Polish sources, about 50,000 Poles fought in the liberation war for Bulgaria in 1877-1878, with about 1,000 of them being in the officer corps, such as: the Chief of Staff of the Danube Army, the Commander of the Rifle Brigade in the defense of the Shipka Pass, Count Stanislav Dombrowski, etc. “Our histories are intertwined several times through the fate of a number of Poles who participated with different contributions to the Liberation of Bulgaria during the long historical periods, and since the time of the Bulgarian Renaissance, the lives of Bulgarians and Poles have been connected through personalities such as: Henryk Dembicki - illustrator of Hr. Botev's articles in the Bulgarian émigré press, etc.”
Ambassador Ganeva noted that this year Poland and Bulgaria are celebrating significant anniversaries: 105 years since the decision of the Bulgarian government in May 1919 to open the first Bulgarian diplomatic mission in Poland; 25 and 20 years since joining the North Atlantic Treaty, respectively.
The two countries have similar positions on a number of European issues and attach great importance to cooperation within regional formats. The Ambassador pointed out that the bilateral dialogue over the past year was intense and focused on current security issues and the further development of mutually beneficial cooperation in a number of areas. 2023 turned out to be another record year in terms of the growth and value of trade exchange between Poland and Bulgaria - our trade exchange is 2,668 billion euros, an increase of 17.1% on an annual basis; Poland is one of the most important tourist markets for Bulgaria - over 440,000 Polish tourists have visited our country. Poland's connectivity with Bulgaria is realized through 13 Polish airports. Partnership relations between Bulgarian and Polish municipalities are developing successfully, as well as cooperation in the field of culture and education, which has long-standing traditions.
A statement from the Polish side was made by Mr. Marek Pravda, State Secretary / Deputy Minister / of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who noted with satisfaction the successful development of Polish-Bulgarian relations and emphasized that our two countries - partners in the EU and NATO, share common values and goals and are connected by their common Slavic roots, as well as by strong cultural ties dating back centuries. A special emphasis in the speech of Deputy Minister Pravda was the comprehensive support that Bulgaria and Poland provide to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
The celebration continued with the awarding of Mr. Cezary Rudzinski, a Polish journalist specializing in the field of tourism, in recognition of his long-term work in promoting Bulgaria and its natural and cultural landmarks in Poland. Ambassador Margarita Ganeva presented Polish journalist Cezary Rudzinski with a certificate for his long-term journalistic contribution to the coverage and promotion of Bulgaria in Polish print and electronic publications. The Minister of Tourism, Ms. Zaritsa Dinkova, honored Mr. Rudzinski with the honorary title of “Ambassador of Destination and Brand Bulgaria”. The special anniversary silver coin “125 Years of the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency” (BTA) was donated to him on behalf of the Director of BTA, Mr. Kiril Valchev, in connection with the hundreds of journalistic materials and publications that the Polish journalist has associated with the positive image of our country over the past fifty years.
The program of the following solemn concert was performed by the world-renowned performer of the works of the great Polish composer Chopin - maestro Lyudmil Angelov. The recital, which took place as part of this year's BKI project - "Bulgarian-Polish dialogues in the field of art", was wildly applauded by the audience.
The event in honor of the National Day of the Republic of Bulgaria was attended by about 200 guests - high-ranking representatives of Polish state institutions: representatives of the Presidential Administration, the Ambassador of Poland to the Three Seas Initiative, Ms. B. Daszynska-Muzicka, from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defense and other state institutions, the General Staff of the PA, the Ombudsman's Administration, ambassadors and diplomats of bilateral diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in Warsaw, directors of museums and cultural institutions, journalists, Bulgarian citizens - working and living in Poland, etc.