Yuri Sterk takes part in the International Conference against anti-Semitism in Rome
30 January 2018 News
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yuri Sterk presented Bulgaria’s progress in the fight against anti-Semitism in Rome yesterday, at the International Conference on the Responsibility of States, Institutions and Individuals in the Fight against Anti-Semitism and Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes in the region of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The conference took part within the framework of the Italian 2018 OSCE Chairmanship.
In his statement to the OSCE member states and representatives of the civil sector, Deputy Minister Sterk noted that the main responsibility in the fight against anti-Semitism lies with the governments. ‘The Bulgarian State, represented by its institutions, the civil society and the media, has always demonstrated its intolerance to any and all forms of anti-Semitism and discrimination. The rescue of the Bulgarian Jews in 1943 is a telling example of this collective belief of Bulgarian society,’ Yuri Sterk said, adding that the tragic plight of Jews in Aegean Thrace and Vardar Macedoniais a lesson that should strengthen the commitment of this country to combat all forms of intolerance and hatred. These historic events also bear witness to the role and power of civil society in Bulgaria, which to this day is called upon to resist and counteract all manifestations of intolerance and discrimination.
In his speech delivered at the Rome forum, Deputy Minister Sterk also said that Bulgaria considers any form of hatred, intolerance and discrimination as a threat to its society. He added that by decision of the Council of Ministers from October 2017, the Bulgarian Government has adopted the working definition of ‘anti-Semitism’ recommended by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), as yet another example of the measures undertaken by this country in its fight against anti-Semitism. ‘Bulgaria has already appointed a national coordinator for combating anti-Semitism, whose responsibility will be to maintain regular communication and make sure that periodic consultations are conducted among institutions in Bulgaria and representatives of the Jewish Community,’ Yuri Sterk said.
Deputy Minister Sterk underscored that during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union Bulgaria will host a number of events relevant to the commitments of the Union to counteract anti-Semitism, xenophobia and hate speech, in fulfilment of the European Parliament resolution of June 1, 2017 on combating anti-Semitism, and expressed hope that in the course of the current year, Bulgaria will become a full member of the IHRA.
Participating in the forum were Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano, OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, Ingibjörg Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, as well as Ronald Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, and Moshe Cantor, President of the European Jewish Congress.
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