site.btaEU Flag Raised in Ceremony Marking Europe Day

EU Flag Raised in Ceremony Marking Europe Day

Sofia, May 9 (BTA) - The EU flag was raised in front of the Presidency building on Tuesday on the occasion of Europe Day. The ceremony was attended by President Rumen Radev, Parliament Chair Dimiter Glavchev, Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, MPs, ministers, and members of the public. The anthems of Bulgaria and of the EU were played.

Earlier in the day Radev laid a wreath at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier on the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of the end of World War II. Wreaths and flowers were also laid by Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov, MPs, Bulgarian veterans and representatives of military and patriotic organizations.

Approached by a reporter, Radev said that today, people must clearly recognize that Europe needs unification. The President said that his presence at the wreath-laying ceremony is a way to show his tribute to all who died in the fight against Hitler's fascism, among them thousands of Bulgarians, and also his respect to the living veterans from World War II. "This must be remembered - today we celebrate the Day of Europe but also Victory in Europe Day without which and without these millions of victims today's Europe would not have been the same. Let us not forget that the condemnation of Nazism and fascism in post-war Europe is an absolute consensus even when Europe was deeply divided by the Iron Curtain," Radev said. He urged the people to prove with their everyday acts that Bulgaria has a worthy place in Europe where the country's future lies.