site.btaAmerican Jewish Committee Delegation Visits Sofia

American Jewish Committee Delegation Visits Sofia

Sofia, March 9 (BTA) - A delegation of the American Jewish
Committee (AJC), led by its Executive Director David Harris, met
 with President Rosen Plevneliev and Foreign Minister Daniel
Mitov on Monday.

The sides discussed the strategic dialogue between Bulgaria and
the United States, the development of Bulgaria's relations with
Israel and the strengthening of the Euro-Atlantic connection.
Other topics of discussion included the situation in the Middle
East, the negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme, the fight
against international terrorism, the situation in Ukraine, and
EU-Russia relations, the Foreign Ministry said.

President Plevneliev said at the meeting, as quoted by his press
 office, that ethnic and religious groups have been living
peacefully togeher in Bulgaria for centuries and the strongest
proof of this is the erscue of Bulgarian Jews from the Nazi
death camps during World War Two.

The President also said that there need to be an honest
discussion about the use of hate speech. "It is worst to deny
that we have problems. Problems have to be identified to be
solved." He cited s 2013 report by the Organization for Security
 and Cooperation in Europe showing that Bulgaria had 651 hate
crimes and these have led to 300 indictments and 239 sentences.
 "Only one of these incidents involved anti-Semitism."

In the President's words, the Bulgarian state and society always
 react strongly to acts of intolerance. 

Plevneliev praised the fine partnership that exists between his
office and the Bulgarian State in general with Jewish
organizations.

David Harris expressed the recognition of the Jewish community
for the message of mutual respect that the Bulgarian state
institutions send.

He voiced concern over the incerasing incidence of anti-Semitic
acts in Europe.

The two sides agreed that the strategic partnership between
Bulgaria and the US and Bulgaria and Israel deserves a high
mark, and that Bulgaria is an important partner in a view of the
 security environment changes caused by the crisis in Ukraine
and the actions of the Islamic State.

Foreign Minister Mitov confirmed at the meeting with the guests
that Bulgaria maintains excellent relations with Israel, the
Jewish community and its organizations in Bulgaria and around
the world. He thanked Harris and AJC for their commitment  to
popularize the historical fact that Bulgaria rescued its 50,000
Jews from deportation to Nazi concentration camps during World
War II.

Harris noted that his visit to Bulgaria is not just another
stopover on his agenda. He said he has been visiting Bulgaria
repeatedly for more than 20 years and he is a true friend of the
 country. He sees many untapped opportunities to popularize
Bulgaria in the US. Bilateral relations in tourism can help to
make Americans better informed about Bulgaria, Harris said. He
praised the establishment of Bulgaria-US working groups in four
areas, which he sees as an expression of the strategic
partnership between the two countries. VI/VE/LN/
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