The National Assembly has passed a Declaration in response to the escalation in the country of ethnic, religious and political tensions. The text of the declaration was proposed by the chair of parliament Mihail Mikov and put to the vote.

With the declaration and on occasion of the Apostle of Freedom, Vasil Levski’s Day, the deputies have called on all Bulgarian citizens and political entities in the country to recall his behest for a “democratic republic” in which “Bulgarians, Turks, Jews etc. will be equal in all respects and the law will be the same for everyone…” All political forces represented and out of the parliament, as well as other organizations, are urged to refrain from actions that could be determined as politically motivated or such having  unacceptable meaning for that date.

The declaration urges all political forces, particularly those in the parliament, to demonstrate high sense of responsibility by not letting their representatives make unacceptable or provocative statements that could create tensions and hatred with an adverse impact on the unity of the nation and the interests of Bulgarian citizens. The National Assembly declares that it condemns and objects to all manifestations of extremism and vandalism, to the public acquittal of events or the recognition of persons of the past who have been proponents of the fascist ideology.   The document condemns all acts of aggressions and brutal disrespect committed against religious temples, as well as speeches of unacceptable xenophobic rhetoric.