site.btaDeputy PM Zafirov: Independence Day Marks Bulgaria’s Most Significant State Act

“On the memorable 22nd of September, 117 years ago, Bulgaria broke free from the web of political dependencies and officially began to determine its own domestic and foreign policy,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Socialists' leader Atanas Zafirov on Monday, as quoted by the Bulgarian Socialist Party in a press release on the occasion of Independence Day.

Zafirov described the proclamation of independence as the most significant state act in modern Bulgarian history, calling it the logical culmination of the Unification of the Principality of Bulgaria with Eastern Rumelia and of all struggles for national liberation. "Without independence, he said, the sacrifice of thousands who gave their lives for the homeland would have been in vain," he said.

Zafirov stressed that today’s task is to preserve the memory of national heroes, to learn the lessons of history, and to uphold the same ideal of unity. “This is our duty – to build a state that is an equal member of the family of civilised nations,” he noted.

“Let this day remind us that freedom and independence are not a given, but a responsibility. We need unity and a national ideal to overcome the trials of time. I believe that the Bulgarian spirit today remains capable of defending this cause,” Zafirov added.