site.btaReception Held at Bulgarian Consulate in New York on Occasion of Independence Day

A reception was held at the Bulgarian Consulate in New York on Sunday evening on the occasion of this country’s Independence Day, September 22. Caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev and caretaker Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov were among the official guests.  

Glavchev said that he was pleased that his US visit for the Summit for the Future had coincided with Independence Day and he could meet the Bulgarian community in New York on this date. 

"The United States are a symbol of democracy and independence and you have proved your worth in the most competitive environment possible," the caretaker Prime Minister said.

"We are trying to create conditions to ensure that anyone who wishes to return to Bulgaria feels good there," he added.

Attending the event was also the Bulgarian Ambassador to the US, Georgi Panayotov, who said that "nowadays, Bulgarians are free to make their own decisions, to travel and to express their opinions".

"Individual freedom is one of the most precious freedoms", he added.

The Ambassador noted that this year, for the first time, the World Bank has included Bulgaria in the list of the richest countries in the world. 

"We are now among the richest countries in the world, and we are there because wise Bulgarian politicians and statesmen have taken the wise decision to make Bulgaria a member of NATO and the EU and a friend and strategic partner of the US," the diplomat said.

In his address, caretaker Foreign Minister Kondov said that during his meetings at the UN General Assembly he had seen that many countries rely on Bulgaria and “expect it, as a country with influence, to provide them with support”.

He pointed out that many Bulgarians are now choosing to go back to their homeland, "which again serves to show that the country is making progress in its development".