Prime Minister Radev: Independence belongs to those worthy of it

“On September 22, 1908, our ancestors proclaimed Bulgaria an independent state and returned it to the family of sovereign European nations,” Prime Minister Rumen Radev wrote on Facebook on Independence Day.

• Bulgaria marks 118 years since declaring independence

Radev said the leaders of modern Bulgaria, having long outgrown the country’s formal dependence on the Ottoman Empire, fulfilled their historic mission of fully restoring Bulgarian statehood. “Bulgaria took its destiny into its own hands and did not hesitate to defend its independence through years of trial, against foreign interference and in the subsequent wars for national unification, in the name of its future,” the Prime Minister said. He added that independence belongs to those worthy of it and must be sustained through responsibility, unity and daily effort.

“The great act of statesmanship of 1908 is a responsibility to the present and the future. September 22, 1908 is a landmark date in our history, reminding us that with patience, reason, consistency and shared effort we can achieve a great deal,” President Iliana Iotova wrote on Facebook. She cited a message from Ferdinand’s 1908 Manifesto of Independence which, she said, had lost none of its relevance: nothing should stand in the way of Bulgaria’s cultural and economic progress. The President said Bulgaria’s unity, energy and confidence were key to making the country a secure and prosperous place to live.

“We must not forget that independence has to be defended every day, with great wisdom, firm resolve and a great deal of effort,” National Assembly Speaker Mihaela Dotsova told journalists in Veliko Tarnovo. She said that today, defending independence meant standing up for the national interest in every action, both at home and in foreign policy.

In his Independence Day message, GERB leader Boyko Borissov said independence begins with the free individual – free to work, create, pursue their own enterprise and determine their own future. “118 years ago, Bulgaria declared that it would determine its own destiny. It is our responsibility to safeguard that independence every day,” he said.

Editor: Diana Tsankova