Bulgaria’s Freedom Has Always Come at a High Price, Says President Radev

Kaloyan Kirilov, Ivan Lazarov

President Rumen Radev Hosts National Day Reception, Central Military Club, Sofia, March 3, 2025 (BTA Photo/Milena Stoykova)

Sofia,

03.03.2025 20:37

(BTA)

Freedom has never been freely given in Bulgaria’s long history, it has always been earned at a great cost, President Rumen Radev said on Monday in his address at the traditional National Day reception at the Central Military Club in Sofia.

In his speech, President Radev paid tribute to Bulgaria’s national heroes, who fought for centuries for the country’s liberation.

"On this date, which fundamentally changed our path as a nation and a state, we pay tribute to our national heroes who fought for centuries for national liberation. Our Revival-era figures and educators sparked the unyielding flame of freedom, which the revolutionaries ignited into the fierce sacrificial blaze of the April Uprising of 1876. We honour our brave volunteers who laid their bones at Shipka, opening the path to a new, free Bulgaria," Radev said.

"In this struggle, we were not alone. Today, we gratefully remember the global intellectuals who raised their voices in defence of Bulgaria’s just cause. We pay tribute to the thousands of valiant warriors from Tsar Alexander II’s army, from all the peoples of the Russian Empire, who shed their blood on our land. Without their sacrifice, our nation would have been doomed to historical oblivion. Without the life-giving hope of the Treaty of San Stefano, the national energy that swiftly restored Bulgaria to its rightful place on the European map would not have been unleashed," Radev added.

Addressing the guests, Radev expressed gratitude for their efforts in upholding Bulgaria as a pillar of peace and stability and ensuring its continued development as a modern European state.

"I thank all those present for their efforts in ensuring that our country continues to stand as a pillar of peace and stability, as well as to develop as a modern European state—just as our Revival leaders envisioned. I believe that in times of global upheaval, our people will not abandon humanism or the legacy of our National Revival, nor the ideals of our national liberation movement, and will continue to uphold peace, human dignity, and justice," Radev concluded.

/KT/

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03.03.2025 21:55 BG World