Ekaterina Zaharieva: Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people stood up to hatred, racism and xenophobia
22 April 2019 News
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva opened the official dinner marking the Jewish feast of Pessach, which she is hosting for a second year running.
‘In these years when, to our regret, we witness rampant nationalism, manifestations of xenophobia and hate speech, we need more initiatives like this one,’ Ekaterina Zaharieva pointed out in her address to the guests, among whom were scores of representatives of Sofia society and the diplomatic corps.
Minister Zaharieva expressed her satisfaction with the now traditional Pessach dinners hosted by the MFA, and offered a brief recap of the initiative.
‘A year since we first gathered here, we are back all together, and Bulgaria is now a full member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. This shows that the Bulgarian Government, the Bulgarian people and society chose to join those countries that stand up to hatred, racism and xenophobia,’ she said. ‘We are determined to teach our children history, so as to make sure that the black pages in the history books would never happen again,’ Minister Zaharieva underscored.
‘Let us remember, let us not forget and let us be tolerant,’ was her concluding wish for the gathered audience.
In his address to the attendees, Alexander Oscar, the Chairman of Shalom, the Organization of Bulgarian Jews, thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and personally Minister Zaharieva and Deputy Minister Georg Georgiev, the latter in his capacity as the national coordinator for combating anti-Semitism.
‘If until now the fight against hate speech and anti-Semitism was solely the responsibility of the Jewish community, today the MFA, Minister Zaharieva, Georg Georgiev, the Bulgarian diplomacy and the State have all joined their efforts,’ said Oscar, calling upon the attendees to ‘stand up for our democratic values.’
This initiative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs gathered round the ritual festive table members of the Bulgarian Jewish community, the Chief Mufti of Bulgaria, representatives of the Catholic Church, ambassadors of Member States of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, Bulgarian diplomats, legislators and representatives of the Jewish communities in the countries of the Western Balkans.