site.btaBulgarian Officials Open Concert Dedicated to Start of EU Presidency

Brussels, February 2 (BTA correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) - President Rumen Radev Thursday opened a concert dedicated to the start of the Bulgarian EU Presidency at the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels.

Addressing those present, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said at the opening: "We have walked a hard path from Sofia to Brussels for years. Now at last I believe that every Bulgarian is happy that not only are we in Brussels, but we are holding the EU Council Presidency."

The Bulgarian EU Presidency is important not just for the Bulgarian nation but for the Balkans and the whole of Europe, said Borissov.

The Minister responsible for the Bulgarian EU Presidency, Liliyana Pavlova, also attended the event.

Meeting with members of the Bulgarian community in Belgium, President Radev said their presence meant that the Bulgarian identity, culture and traditions were there in the heart of Europe. Vice President Iliana Iotova also participated in the meeting, the President's press secretariat said.

Radev thanked the Bulgarian community, the cultural organizations in Belgium, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the oldest Bulgarian school named after poet Peyo Yavorov and the schools in Ghent and Antwerp, as well as the folk dance ensembles, for their sustained efforts to preserve the Bulgarian traditions.

Asked about the upcoming events in Bulgaria to mark the 140th anniversary of its Liberation from Ottoman rule, the President said Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia would visit Bulgaria for the celebrations of its National Day, March 3.

Asked about the geopolitical dimensions of European security, the President stressed that alongside deterrent measures and building defence capabilities, Europe should engage in a dialogue with its large neighbours Russia and Turkey. He stated that like a number of other European leaders, he himself hailed this dialogue.

Answering a question about the creation of a major Internet platform linking Bulgaria and Bulgarian expats, Iliana Iotova stressed that she relied on the efforts of the Public Council with the President's institution, university lecturers, members of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, journalists and public figures.