September 22, 2010, Veliko Tarnovo



Esteemed Mr. Mayor,
Esteemed Mr. Deputy Prime Minister,
Esteemed Members of Parliament,
Esteemed Generals, Officers and Soldiers
Your Highness,
Your Excellencies,
Honored guests of the French Parliament,
Esteemed citizens of Veliko Tarnovo,
Dear compatriots,


102 years ago, in the distant 1908, here in the old Bulgarian capital, the Independence of Bulgaria was proclaimed by a Manifest. Our Fatherland, liberated thirty years earlier, declared to the World that Bulgaria is independent. The town of Veliko Turnovo, the Church of the 40 Martyrs and the Tsarevets Hill are places - symbols of the Bulgarian statehood. They were chosen to make the link between the glorious history of the past with the present expectations for a better future of the Bulgarian people.

It is difficult for us today to imagine how long and patient efforts, self sacrifice, political will and diplomatic abilities were needed on the part of our ancestors to be able to walk the path from Liberty to Independence.

After the Unification of the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia in 1908, we Bulgarians had stand up again to fight back the unfair decisions of the Great Powers and the Treaty of Berlin. We did it with the will to realize our national ideal, this time relying on a skilful foreign policy.

September 22, not only returns Bulgaria on the European map as an independent country but it opens a new political, economic and spiritual horizons for our country. This day not only restores our national dignity but also restores our national confidence.


Today we need strongly the spirit, energy and wisdom of September 22, 1908. The proclamation of Independence sets the legal framework of the country’s freedom. Bulgaria not only declares its passage from a tributary principality to an independent state, on this day our country proves that it is equal to the other independent European countries, our nation shows decisively to the civilized world that it professes its values.


Tonight, 102 years after that September 22, silent before the stone walls of Tsarevets, listening to the murmur of river Yantra, the words of the Manifest "Always peaceful, My people today demonstrates its longing for cultural and economic progress of its own, and nothing should stand on the way of Bulgaria, nothing should hamper its prosperity. So is the desire of my people, such is his will .... " resound like an echo of ringing church bells.

These words represent a Legacy, worthy of a National cause!


Dear compatriots,

In the course of these 102 years, in times of hardships or uplifts, people and politicians, together we are studying the lessons of that remote September 22. We strive to learn them now, despite the difficulties of the present. I am confident that we can proudly and decisively achieve the message of the Manifest of 1908. We can reaffirm Bulgaria as a stable, orderly and predictable place for economic and cultural progress.

Happy Anniversary, Bulgaria!