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Minister Zaharieva participated in a conference against anti-semitism together with the UN Secretary-General

27 September 2018 News

‘My compatriots saved their fellow-citizen Jews from the death camps. The Bulgarians, the King, the Synod, the Members of Parliament all got together and saved the lives of approximately 50 000 Bulgarian Jews. They said: ‘’We will not turn them over, you will have to take us with them’’! Unfortunately, approximately 11 400 Jews from Macedonia and Thrace did not share their fortune’. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva used these words to address the participants in the UN Conference ‘The Strength of Education in Combating Racism and Discrimination — the example of anti-semitism’, organised by UNESCO.

The hall met the words of the top Bulgarian diplomat with a standing ovation.

The participants in the event included the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, the Prime Minister of Morocco, Saadeddine Othmani, the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Hungary and France — Senator Marise Payne, Péter Szijjártó and Jean-Yves le Drian, and the President of the World Jewish Congress Ronald S. Lauder.

‘Education is the most powerful weapon against racism and anti-semitism because no one is born a racist or a terrorist. Bulgaria has always been a tolerant country’, added Minister Zaharieva. She explained that during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU the fight against anti-Semitism was a priority and that the Ministers of Education from the EU have received a special manual on the approaches to combating racism and xenophobia through education.

Ekaterina Zaharieva also took part in the traditional informal ministerial meeting of the countries from the Central European Initiative (CEI) in New York, organised by Croatia, which currently holds the rotational chair of the organisation. The CEI is the oldest and largest forum for cooperation in the region and will be celebrating its 30th anniversary next year. Bulgaria has been a CEI member since 1996.

In their presentations, the country representatives focused on the progress achieved during the Bulgarian Presidency in the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU and discussed the perspectives available to the Eastern Partnership countries.

The representatives of Albania and the Republic of Macedonia expressed gratitude for the support received from Sofia for the commencement of membership.

‘The European Union is the most successful multinational peace project but it cannot be complete without the Western Balkans. I would like to thank you for your most kind words about Bulgaria and thank Romania and Croatia that they will continue to work for the achievement of our priorities in the context of their Council Presidencies. In six months only, Bulgaria has gained the support of 26 Member States for the continued enlargement of the Union,’ Minister Zaharieva said.

The Bulgarian top diplomat participated in a ministerial meeting dedicated to Syria at which the States expressed their views on the situation in Idlib and on the agreements reached between the Presidents of Russia and Turkey to deescalate tension.

‘Migrants would return when they see at least the onset of the political process and the functioning of the new Constitution. Reconstruction cannot begin before the political process is under way’, Minister Zaharieva said.

At the second interministerial conference on Syria ‘Supporting the future of Syria and the region’, held in Brussels in April 2018, Bulgaria pledged a contribution of EUR 150 000 to deal with the consequences of the grave humanitarian crisis in Syria and a further contribution of EUR 200 000 for the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis (Madad Trust Fund). In addition, Bulgaria has pledged EUR 1 298 805 for the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey.

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