site.btaBulgaria Celebrates Anniversary of Unification of Bulgarian Principality and Eastern Rumelia

Sofia, September 6 (BTA) - Bulgaria celebrates on September 6 the 135th anniversary of the Unification of the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia in 1885. It is a public holiday, with observances held countrywide.

Eastern Rumelia was established on May 19, 1879 by the Berlin Treaty as an Ottoman autonomous province (vilayet) on 35,208 sq km of Bulgarian lands south of the Balkan Range, with the southern city of Plovdiv as its administrative centre. In a nearly bloodless military coup, local irredentists ousted the provincial government and reunited the territory with the Bulgarian Principality on September 6, 1885 in defiance of the Great Powers' settlement of the Eastern Question. The Union was eventually recognized by Turkey, Germany, Austria-Hungary, France, Great Britain, Italy and Russia by the April 5, 1886 Convention of Top-Khane. Under the Convention, the Prince of Bulgaria was appointed Governor General of Eastern Rumelia, thus keeping de jure the status of Eastern Rumelia as an Ottoman province despite its de facto administrative merger with the Principality. The Unification was legally finalized as late as in 1908, when Bulgaria declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire.

Even without the drama of bloodshed, the Unification opened up a new chapter in the development of the Bulgarian nation by bringing divided territories back together into a single state. It remains a symbol of an independent national cause which succeeded despite unfavourable circumstances in a world dominated by foreign influences and the diktat of external powers.

The commemorative events are scheduled to culminate with an observance and a military tattoo in Plovdiv on Sunday evening. President Rumen Radev and Parliament Chair Tsveta Karayancheva will be there. Military units joined the celebrations and memorial services were held across the country.

In an address on the occasion of Unification Day, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said in a Facebook post that the Unification of the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia is a notable success of Bulgarian society and serves to prove that a united people can achieve great feats alone, without outside help. "I have always believed in using the lessons of the past to solve the problems of the day," Borissov said, adding that the desire for a new beginning is now a fact once again. "Justice and a better future are achieved by democratic means, when the voice of wisdom is heard the best and the nation's will prevails. This process is not limited to replacing one ruler with another. That is why I proposed a specific plan for a restart. A cause worthy of uniting around, which can bring us out of a difficult moment, just like 135 years ago, because united we stand strong." According to him, restarting democracy calls for understanding and not revenge. "I believe in the Bulgarian people's wisdom. I believe that this time we, the Bulgarian citizens, will unite around a single national cause and take the right path for this country," the Prime Minister writes.

President Rumen Radev, who visited the southern village of Brestovitsa on the occasion of Unification Day, said that 135 years ago, on this fateful day, September 6, the Bulgarian people took their motherland's fate into their own hands. According to him, this was a victory of the Bulgarian character and love for freedom.

Bulgarian Socialist Party leader Kornelia Ninova and Socialist municipal councilors from Sofia laid wreaths in front of the Memorial Tomb of Alexander I of Battenberg in the capital on the occasion of Unification Day, her party reported in a press release.
She recalled that 135 years ago, Bulgaria's forefathers had risen against the unjust division of the Bulgarians and won their freedom. "There are eternal causes, which can unite a nation at any time. These are freedom and justice. Lets be united for them," Ninova said, wishing Bulgarians a happy holiday.

VMRO leader Krassimir Karakachanov is quoted as saying by his party that in 1885, the Bulgarians prevailed because they had a cause. "They did not listen to the Great Powers or Russia the liberator. They listened to their morals and hearts as Bulgarian patriots," he said, adding that those Bulgarians back in the day had a common goal and did not divide themselves based on political affiliations or social standing.
VMRO observed three anniversaries on September 6 - Unification Day and the deaths of historical VMRO figures Todor Aleksandrov and Ivan Mihaylov, the nationalist party recalled.
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