site.btaPresident Calls for Justice for Thracian Bulgarians at Memorial Gathering

President Iliana Iotova expressed hope that justice will one day be achieved for the Thracian Bulgarians in an address delivered Saturday at the National Youth Thracian Gathering at Ilieva Niva. The event marked the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Ilieva Niva Memorial Complex and the 113th anniversary of the massacre of more than 200 children of Thracian refugees and their mothers.

"I sincerely hope that one day justice will come for our Thracian people. We have leaders in whom I place great hope, strong and courageous individuals who will not hesitate to put Bulgaria's cause and the national interest where they belong: at the highest level,” Iotova said.

According to the President, Bulgaria does not need conflict but dialogue and sensible solutions. "The world we live in is divided enough as it is, but through negotiations and mutual compromise we can achieve justice for the Thracian cause and learn the lessons we must pass on to our children," she said.

Iotova described Ilieva Niva as "the Golgotha of Thracian children" and called for the memory of the tragedy to be preserved and passed on to future generations.

During the gathering, President Iotova and the Mayor of Ivaylovgrad, Diana Ovcharova, placed a time capsule containing a message to future generations and planted a cypress tree near the memorial.

The event, held under the motto "Day of the Thracian Child", was organized by the Union of Thracian Associations in Bulgaria and the Municipality of Ivaylovgrad. Members of parliament, mayors from Bulgarian and Greek municipalities, diplomats and representatives of Thracian organizations attended the ceremony.

The Union of Thracian Associations announced that it had submitted a proposal to the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church to canonize as saints the more than 200 Thracian children killed in 1913.