site.btaForeign Minister Kondov: Today Should Not Only Serve as Day of Mourning, But Also of Looking towards Future

Caretaker Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov attended Monday a commemoration ceremony at Sofia's Central Synagogue marking a year since the unprecedented attack carried out by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Israeli territory on October 7, 2023. He stressed that "today should not only serve as a day of mourning, but also of looking to the future."

"The cycle of hatred and violence in the region must be ended for a life of peace, stability and understanding for the future generations," he added.

Last year's attack led to war in the Gaza Strip, which then spread to neighboring Lebanon against Hezbollah.

Kondov stressed that the unprecedented attack of October 7 has put to the test the understanding of the essence of humanity. Bulgaria remains in solidarity and empathy with Israel in dealing with this grave national trauma, he said. The Foreign Minister added that the events of October 7 had revived memories of the fate of the Jewish people during the Holocaust.

"The memory of the Holocaust and the atrocities committed by Hamas a year ago must unite us in efforts to counter all manifestations of hatred, discrimination, including anti-Semitism," Kondov said, stressing that anti-Semitism is alien to Bulgarian society, of which Bulgarian Jews are an integral part.