Bulgaria’s Presidency of the Council of the EU and the country’s National Day, the 3rd of March, honored by the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
07 March 2018 News
A reception hosted by the office in Sarajevo of the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the National Day of Bulgaria, the 3rd of March, and the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Guests of honor at the event were the Chairman of the Council of Ministers Prof. Denis Zvizdić, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Crnadak, the Minister of Defense Marina Pendeš and the President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Marinko Čavara. Among the 200 guests at the reception were members of the state parliament, officials from the institutions of the Republic of Srpska; representatives of local self-government; Valentin Inzko, the International Community’s High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bruce Burton, the head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina; Major General Anton Waldner, the EUFOR Commander; Brigadier General Robert Houston, the Commander of the NATO Headquarters in Sarajevo; the ambassador of the EU member states, the USA, China, Russia, Turkey, Brazil, Switzerland; the Bulgarian military contingent in EUFOR, Bulgarian citizens, cultural figures, members of the press.
The guests heard welcoming addresses by Ambassador Avgustina Tsvetkova and Denis Zvizdić.
In her speech, Ambassador Tsvetkova paid tribute to the feat and self-sacrifice of our forefathers, of all who gave their lives for the restoration of Bulgarian statehood 140 years ago. She reminded the attendees of the then chosen national motto of Bulgaria: ‘United We Stand Strong’, which today is also the motto of Bulgaria’s rotational Presidency of the Council of the EU. Ambassador Tsvetkova placed an emphasis on the Western Balkans as a key priority for the Bulgarian Presidency. ‘A historic summit meeting EU-Western Balkans is scheduled to be held in Sofia in May of this year. Bulgaria is committed to cooperate actively for speeding up the processes of European integration in the region. But I would like to underscore that how long it will take to complete your journey to Brussels, to United Europe, depends entirely on the efforts and perseverance of each of the six countries in sorting out its domestic and neighborly relations, upholding the rule of law, fighting corruption and putting in place the necessary reforms. As a member of both the EU and NATO, the Republic of Bulgaria has been consistently supporting and will continue to promote the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina,’ said Ambassador Tsvetkova.
The Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Denis Zvizdić, expressed his gratitude for the support of the Bulgarian government and the friendly relations between Bulgaria and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Towards the end of the event, all attendees received a gift of a martenitza each on the occasion of the traditional Bulgarian holiday Baba Marta (Granny March).
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