site.bta"Let Us Debate Bulgaria’s Future, Not Desecrate Our Sacred Symbols," Says Vice President of Bulgarian Lev, Draws Arguments in History

“In these days, when there is once again a heated debate about a fateful decision that Bulgaria must make [about adopting the euro], one of my greatest pains was that we have reached the point of desecrating the Bulgarian lev,” said Vice President Iliana Iotova during the opening of an exhibition about the legacy of Sts Cyril and Methodius at the eponymous National Library here on Tuesday. “This must not be allowed, regardless of the motives. I can understand the arguments on both sides, but let us debate the future of Bulgaria, not desecrate our sacred symbols,” she said, apparently referring to the Bulgarian lev as one of those symbols. Then, the Vice President proceeded to talk about the past and Bulgaria's historical legacies.

Iotova pointed out the importance of “remembering the legacy of the rulers of the First and Second Bulgarian Empires, as well as the wise words of our first teachers and their disciples: that to have a future and to move forward, one must respect the work of those who came before. We must build upon it, not reject or distance ourselves from it,” said the Vice President. 

She thanked the National Library, noting that through the events it has organized this year in honor of the Glagolitic script, it has proven itself to be a true spiritual institution of Bulgaria. 

The Vice President commented that the work of the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius is not widely known throughout Europe. “Many nations, even in Central Europe, believe that the mission of the holy brothers in Great Moravia, as envoys of the Byzantine Emperor, ended with the death of Methodius in Devin – one of the fortresses in present-day Slovakia. But that is not true. If everything had ended there, today we would not have the Cyrillic alphabet, used by millions of people around the world. The Slavic civilization, born here on our lands – on Bulgarian soil – would not have been possible. Nor would the Bulgarian people have survived, because it was thanks to the memory of literacy, writing, and literature created during the early Middle Ages and the Second Bulgarian Empire that our nation endured five centuries of slavery and foreign religious domination. It is no coincidence that many prominent scholars around the world say that Bulgarian civilization and what was created here significantly shaped European civilization,” Iotova noted.

The exhibition is dedicated to May 24 – the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Bulgarian alphabet, education and culture, and Slav letters – and marks the 1,140th anniversary of the death of St. Methodius. It is part of the cultural events under the theme “The Year of the Glagolitic Alphabet” and also part of the 19th edition of National Library Week.