site.btaVice President Iotova Attends Bulgarian Concert in Grasse Marking 145 years of Bulgarian-French Relations

Vice President Iliiana Yotova visited the French town of Grasse to attend a concert marking the 145th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and France. Bulgarian opera singers Plamena Girginova, Vera Girginova, Kiril Manolov and Mihail Mihailov accompanied by pianist Boryana Lambreva performed for the French audience. The concert, which took place under the auspices of UNESCO Director-General (2009-2017) Irina Bokova, was organized by the Centre for the Arts cultural association in Grasse. At the invitation of its President Gilles Fuchs, Iliana Iotova was an official guest of the concert.

Gilles Fuchs is a distinguished patron of the arts, winner of numerous international awards, who actively works to promote Bulgarian culture worldwide. Fuchs has made a huge contribution to the development of the International Ballet Competition in Varna, which has set world standards with its long history.

On behalf of head of State Rumen Radev, Vice President Iotova presented Gilles Fuchs with the presidential badge of honour for his great contribution to the promotion of Bulgarian culture and dance art in Europe and around the world, as well as for his role in the development of bilateral relations between Bulgaria and France.

In her remarks Iotova said she was honoured to call Fuchs one of the greatest friends of Bulgaria. “I am proud that a man like you works tirelessly to ensure that the rich Bulgarian culture and the immeasurable Bulgarian talent are known to the general public," the Vice President said.

For his part Fuchs said: “Bulgaria is the pearl of the Balkans and I love it very much”. He highlighted his long-standing cooperation with the founder of the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Maestro Emil Dimitrov, with whom he started to support and promote Bulgarian talent, an activity that Gilles Fuchs continues today.

The Vice President congratulated Irina Bokova, the patron of the concert, for her active work in establishing cultural ties after her two terms as Director-General of UNESCO - the highest position a Bulgarian has held in the UN system.

In her remarks, Iotova highlighted Bulgaria's ancient history and rich culture and its contribution to the development of the Slavic world. “This year is significant for us because we are celebrating two important anniversaries - 1160 years since the Bulgarian people adopted the Christian faith and 1170 years since the Glagolitic alphabet - the predecessor of the Slavonic script, the Cyrillic alphabet, was born in Bulgaria,” the Vice President said. Along with the programme, the audience was familiarized with the Bulgarian film “The Path of Light”, which tells about the significant Bulgarian role in the development of Christianity and Slavic civilization.

"Today in the Cathedral of Grasse different people are united by the conviction that culture is the most direct path to knowledge of the other. It is the most effective antidote to rampant opposition, hatred, conflict. It is the solid foundation on which relations between states are confidently built, a foundation that adversity can hardly shake," the Vice President said.

In her remarks, she stressed that for 145 years Bulgaria and France have been confidently writing the history of their relations. "France was among the first to recognizee the Principality of Bulgaria as an equal to other European countries in 1879. The ideas of the French Revolution made their mark on our national liberation movement, our Revival literature was strongly influenced by French literature, and a number of representatives of the Bulgarian intelligentsia studied in French schools and universities," Iotova said.

In the Vice President's words, today Bulgaria and France are successfully developing their relations together in the European family. "We share the goal of a strong Europe without divisions. The European Union must assert its leadership on the international stage. It should regain its role as the continent that gives birth and develops talents, makes discoveries, sets examples in the field of culture and spiritual development of the world, in the defence of human rights, of the great idea of freedom, equality and fraternity," Iliana Iotova emphasized.

She stressed that the intensive partnership between Grasse and its sister city Kazanlak is an example of the successful bilateral relations between Bulgaria and France.