site.btaBulgarian President in Gdansk: Nazism and Communism Are Two Sides of Same Coin

Bulgarian President in Gdansk: Nazism and Communism Are Two Sides of Same Coin


Gdansk, Poland, May 8 (BTA special correspondent Lora Metanova)
- Speaking at an international conference in Gdansk on May 7,
Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said that Nazism and
Communism are two sides of the same coin of totalitarian rule.
Plevneliev warned that a growing number of European politicians
are beginning to count on populism and nationalism. A new wave
of nationalism is sweeping Europe fuelled by public fears which
have been caused by migration, poor economic prospects and high
unemployment, he said.

Plevneliev attended a conference marking the 70th anniversary of
 the end of World War II. He spoke at a panel discussion on
European integration as a lesson learned after the war.

The Bulgarian President said that modern patriotism rather than
nationalism is what is needed today more than ever before.
Modern patriots adhere to the principles of international law
which prescribes that disputes should be solved with arguments,
not with weapons, propaganda or hybrid warfare, he said. Peace
means human rights, rule of law, integration and cooperation, he
 said.

The policy of the world powers, with their spheres of influence
and the peripheral areas between them, has led to frozen
conflicts, Plevneliev remarked, warning that eastern Ukraine can
 become another frozen conflict.

Present-day Russia believes in global interests and actions
founded on world-power ideology and uses every opportunity to
divide and weaken the European Union, he said. On the other
hand, the EU is a unique project for peace in which
consensus-based policies make each member state important and
none of them peripheral, he said.

Plevneliev believes that the pursuit of interest in Europe
should follow the guiding principles and values of international
 law. No one wants to go back to the time when the world powers
divided their spheres of influence between them. The Balkans
have suffered from this kind of policy for centuries. Nowadays
the Balkan nations are working together for a shared European
future, building bridges of confidence and cooperation, but the
job is far from complete, he said.

The EU is historically the most successful political and
economic union of nations and a driver of democracy, the
Bulgarian President said. According to him, "integration" is the
 watchword in dealing with current challenges - integration in
the field of defence, energy, finance and foreign affairs.

Today, just like 70 years ago, there is a choice we need to
make: we either act boldly and keep making the history of a
united Europe, or we pursue shortsighted policies based on
national interests which lead to instability, Plevneliev said.