George Georgiev: Young people must show zero tolerance for any attempts to trample democratic values underfoot
01 September 2018 News
‘Young people must show zero tolerance for any attempts to trample democratic values underfoot. Let us harness all of our skills and abilities to prevent any modern forms of terror, antisemitism and hate speech,’ were the words of Deputy Foreign Minister George Georgiev at the event commemorating the victims of the 2012 terrorist act at Sarafovo Airport, that took place in the town of Aheloi. The ceremony was organized by the European Union of Jewish Students.
‘I am delighted to bid you a warm welcome to Bulgaria. This, perhaps, is the country best suited to host such an event. You are now in a country with a millennia-old history, a country that 75 years ago stood up to the greatest evil the world had ever seen, and rescued its Jewish fellow nationals from the Nazi death camps,’ were the words he used to address his young audience at the start of the ceremony.
George Georgiev told his young audience that after the series of terrorist attacks in recent years, which shook the democratic foundations of the international community, the countries and governments have learned the hard lesson of unity. He stressed that regardless of the attack at Sarafovo, Israeli nationals continue to visit Bulgaria. ‘That inhumane provocation had the effect of bringing our two countries even closer together, and making them even stronger,’ the Deputy Minister added.
Georgiev also explained to the students that within the framework of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, this country had placed the matter of the fight against anti-Semitism firmly on the Union’s agenda. ‘In the course of our Presidency, we organized events in both Sofia and Brussels, during which we made it abundantly clear that a key element in that fight are the coordinated efforts and cooperation at all levels, including among young people and young leaders such as yourselves,’ Georgiev said.
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