At UN, President Plevneliev reaffirms Bulgaria’s determination to work against terrorism
Delivering justice is vital for addressing terrorism – one of the ugliest and most despicable crimes against humanity, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said in a speech on September 25 2012 at the 67th session of the UN General Assembly.
No cause whatsoever can justify indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, Plevneliev said, quoted by Bulgarian news agency BTA.
Sadly enough, no country or human being today can feel safe or insured against this evil, he said.
“Just a few weeks ago, at the Sofia synagogue, we paid tribute to the memory of five Israeli and one Bulgarian citizen who lost their lives in the shocking terrorist attack last July at the airport of Sarafovo, a lively tourist destination on our Black Sea coast,” Plevneliev said.
“From this high stage in the city of New York, a few miles away from the September 11 Memorial, I now reconfirm our strongest condemnation of this awful crime. My country will spare no effort to bring the perpetrators and their masterminds to justice. The attack on our soil has made us stronger and more determined to align with others in implementing the UN Global Strategy against terrorism,” he said.
Plevneliev announced Bulgaria’s intention to seek election to the United Nations Human Rights Council, celebrating the Council as the UN’s “primary body” for the protection and promotion of human rights, the UN News Centre said.
Plevneliev underlined Bulgaria’s “difficult, dramatic and sometimes turbulent journey” from dictatorship to democratic rule.
“Bulgaria has gone through a successful transition from totalitarian rule to a functioning democracy with an open market economy and a vibrant civil society,” he said.
“We stand ready to share the experience from our road to democracy with other countries undergoing similar challenges,” Plevneliev said, noting that Bulgaria was seeking election to the Council for the period 2019 to 2021.
As an indication of Bulgaria’s appreciation of human rights-related issues, Plevneliev emphasised his country’s “long-standing tradition of tolerance and dialogue” between ethnic and religious communities.
“This tradition can be aptly illustrated by a glimpse of the centre of our capital, where four temples of different religions – Islam, Judaism, Catholic and Orthodox Christianity – co-exist peacefully surrounded by archaeological monuments of several ancient civilisations,” Plevneliev said.
In addition, he pointed to Bulgaria’s ongoing fostering of dialogue through the Sofia Platform which promotes an exchange of views and best practices among government officials, experts, representatives of civil society and non-governmental organisations, focussing on the transition process in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East.
“This forum has shown that though the historical, cultural and political realities vary in different countries and regions, conclusions and lessons learned can be relevant in the field of national reconciliation, rule of law, institution building and security sector reform,” Plevneliev said.
(Photo: UN Photo/Marco Castro)
