President Rumen Radev took part in a commemorative ceremony on the 11th anniversary of the bombing at Burgas Airport. The commemoration of the victims – five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian driver – took place near the site of the bombing where a monument was put up.
The commemoration began with a minute of silence. In his address to the victims’ relatives and those present at the ceremony, Radev said the heavy trauma of 11 years ago will continue to bring people back to that dreadful event.
“The attack on the Israeli tourists and the Bulgarian citizen shook the entire country. We often say that time heals all pain, but I know very well that there is no cure for the pain of losing the people closest to you,” the President said.
The President said the dead would not be forgotten because the lives unjustly taken will always evoke grief and anger and will hold a warning that evil exists and must be confronted with a united effort.
“Today’s event is an opportunity to state once again that Bulgaria and Israel are linked by deep historical and friendly ties, that we share a similar destiny and a long-standing partnership,” Radev said in his address.
“This year we mark the 80th anniversary of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews. This is an unprecedented act for Europe in the darkest years of World War II. We did not allow a single Bulgarian Jew to be deported to the death camps, and Bulgaria emerged from World War II with a larger Jewish community. Let’s remember that we must continue to fight together the efforts of terrorism that sow fear, death and destruction. I believe that we will continue to work ever more effectively to prevent, neutralize and protect against terrorist threats,” the President said.
Radev expressed deep and sincere sympathy to the victims’ relatives.
Israeli Ambassador Yoram Elron said the whole world must be united to eradicate the threat of terror and aggression. He called on the Bulgarian authorities to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. This is what the State of Israel and the victims’ families want, the diplomat said. He commented that since the attack 11 years ago, the number of Israeli tourists visiting Bulgaria has increased.
More than 250,000 Israelis visit Bulgaria every year, which shows that life prevails over threat and hatred, Ambassador Elron said.
The ceremony ended with a prayer recited by Israeli clerics.
The event was attended by representatives of state and local institutions, of the Jewish community in Bulgaria and of the diplomatic corps.
