site.btaNational Assembly Chair Attends Commemorative Ceremony Marking Year Since Hamas' Attack on Israel

Today more than ever, a de-escalation of tensions is needed not only for the sake of peace in the Middle East, but for the sake of peace in the entire civilized world, National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan said at a commemorative ceremony at Sofia's Central Synagogue on Monday. The ceremony marked a year since the unprecedented attack carried out by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023. The attack led to war in the Gaza Strip, which then spread to neighboring Lebanon against Hezbollah.

Nazaryan stressed that another cycle of escalation of tensions in the Middle East is currently taking place. "For this one year we have realized the most important thing that peace is not a given - peace is a supreme value that must be defended every day," the National Assembly Chair noted. 

She said that Bulgaria has repeatedly expressed its solidarity and empathy with the people of Israel, and is expressing it once again by strongly condemning Iran's missile strikes against Israel. Bulgaria supports and will continue to support every constructive effort of the international community aimed at ensuring the security of the State of Israel, guaranteeing regional stability and establishing a lasting and just peace in the Middle East region, Nazaryan stressed.

"We express our unwavering commitment to the values of freedom, the rule of law, democracy and peace," she added.