Bulgaria and its institutions are committed to the fight against language of hatred
07 December 2017 News
“Bulgaria and the Bulgarian institutions are committed to the fight against the language of hatred. For us, our reputation as a country where tolerance is a main value has a special place among our priorities. We will be highly sensitive to all manifestations of anti-Semitism,” Deputy Minister Georg Georgiev said before Cristina Finch, Head of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODHIR) Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs is also a national coordinator for the fight against anti-Semitism.
Georg Georgiev stressed that Bulgaria is one of the first countries having adopted the working definition of anti-Semitism and in this way it clearly declares the Government’s intention to counter all acts of intolerance and discrimination. “The development of a positive attitude towards citizens affiliated to any ethnic group and addressing any prejudices to this end is a long-term process in Bulgaria,” Deputy Minister Georgiev added. He recalled that during the past few cases of placing anti-Semitic signs on monuments in the country, the good coordination between the responsible national institutions has helped for their prompt removal.
On her part, Cristina Finch expressed an opinion that Bulgaria is a country which understands well what should be done to eliminate the language of hatred.
The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation within the OSCE project "Words into Action". The main goal of the project is to strengthen the capacity of the countries and their civil societies for preventing and responding to all forms of anti-Semitism.
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