site.btaPM Boyko Borissov Confers with American Jewish Committee Executive Director David Harris

PM Boyko Borissov Confers with American Jewish Committee Executive Director David Harris


Sofia, March 10 (BTA) - "The rescue of the Bulgarian Jews is an
unprecedented fact in the world history. Not a single Jew in
Bulgaria was sent to the death camps. We take pride in this
fact," Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said during his
meeting with David Harris, the Executive Director of the
American Jewish
Committee (AJC), quoted by the Cabinet's Press Centre. The Prime
 Minister pointed out that Bulgarian-Israeli relations were
traditionally strong and rooted in the common history of the two
 nations. He thanked for the AJCТs contribution to presenting
BulgariaТs role in the saving of Jews to the world community .
 
УTo this day, Bulgaria continues to fight against any
manifestations of intolerance, xenophobia, and hate speech,
including in times of intense migration pressure on our
country,Ф Borissov said. He stressed that the Bulgarian
government was closely monitoring issues relating to racism,
racial discrimination, xenophobia, and intolerance.

Borissov recalled that security services recently detained an
accomplice in the Paris terrorist attacks on Bulgarian
territory.
 
The Prime Minister pointed out that thousands of Israeli
tourists visit Bulgaria each year. УIn order to be able to
guarantee the safety of Bulgarian citizens, as well as that of
EU citizens and guests, Bulgaria needs the support of its
partners,Ф Borissov said. УOur ties are characterized by mutual
trust, common democratic values, and close cooperation in
important sectors and areas. Overcoming the common challenges
threatening both South-East Europe and the Middle East makes us
natural allies.Ф
 
Harris said in a public talk here  on Monday that this is
defining moment in human history. He said  people on both sides
of the Atlantic should define the most  important things
connecting them and define themselves as a  community not just
of interests but as a community of values  which crosses the
Atlantic, goes around the globe and  encompasses all nations
which have embraced the same values:  peaceful settlement of
disputes, rule of law and respect for  human dignity and rights.
 These key values  are under fire today  and the point is how to
 react to that fire, he said in the  public talk organized by
the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria and the  Diplomatic Institute with
 the Bulgarian Foreign Minister.

Harris said he is a confirmed transatlanticist and has always 
believed in the connection between North America and Europe. He
 said he believes there is a bridge between both the interests 
and the values of these two parts of the world.

Harris is also a confirmed Europeanist, adding that the EU is 
the most ambitious and the most successful peaceful project in 
world history. He is concerned that many Europeans, especially 
young people, seem to have lost the understanding of the point 
and the concept behind the EU. People dealing with international
  affairs have a special responsibility, especially today, to 
answer the most important questions of the day when 
Euroscepticism or even Eurocynicism emerges.

Further on, Harris said it is no secret in the United States 
that there is tension between internationalists and 
isolationists. After Iraq and Afghanistan, it is no surprise 
that many Americans are asking: Why do we have to be "in 
favour", see what we lived through and how many people perished.
  Europe is also faced with challenges as it wants to pay 
attention to its internal challenges, which are many, but there
 are also external actors.

Many people were killed on the Maidan who said: "Our future is 
with Europe". Isn't this a challenge to Europe, Harris asked. 
The Ukraine issue is vital but this is not the beginning or the
 end of the story. There is an earlier chapter - in Abkhazia and
  South Ossetia. The book is not finished, we do not know if
there  will or won't be any more chapters, but we cannot stand
and  watch how things are going on, said Harris.

Another challenge Harris identified is that several thousand 
Europeans are on their way to training and fighting for the 
Islamic State. The challenge is to find out what will happen if
 those foreign fighters survive the conflict and return to their
  home countries - whether they will go on living as they did 
before or will behave as Jihadists.

David Harris noted the anniversary of the rescue of Bulgarian 
Jews from the Nazi death camps, saying that this is one of the 
most inspiring moments and examples of what the human spirit can
  attain. If the members of other societies had done what the 
Bulgarian society did, many more Jews would have survived, he 
said.

Earlier on Monday, Harris talked with President Rosen Plevneliev
 and Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov.