site.bta Commemoration of 122nd Anniversary of Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising Held at Petrova Niva

A commemoration of the 122nd anniversary of the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising was held in the historic Petrov niva area in Southeast Bulgaria on Saturday. The celebration was held under the patronage of the head of State, the President's press office said. Among those attending the commemorative ceremony were Radev, National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova and Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov.

"Once again, we are greeted by the legendary Petrova niva, with memories of the fateful summer of 1903, when Bulgarians from Thrace and Macedonia proclaimed to the world that the only path to freedom was armed struggle and self-sacrifice," said the President. In his speech, he emphasized that this historic event marked the beginning of "a magnificent epic," and that the scale and organizational maturity of the uprising elevated it to "a historic peak in our people's struggle for national liberation."

"Generations of Bulgarians honor the memory of the uprisers, their leaders, and the thousands of fighters who turned their will for freedom into an enduring example of fearlessness and patriotism," the President said. 

Radev thanked the Union of Thracian Societies in Bulgaria, the Municipality of Malko Tarnovo, patriotic organizations, and the thousands of Bulgarians and Thracians who gather every year at Petrov niva to pay tribute to the heroes.

The self-sacrifice of those who took part in the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising remains in Bulgarian history as a symbol of resistance, of the struggle for freedom, which inspires future generations to fight against oppression, said National Assembly Chair Kiselova. "On these bright Christian holidays, our ancestors rejected the rule of the Ottoman Empire and courageously defended the ideals of freedom and joining the motherland, of national unification," Kiselova pointed out. 

The commemoration was also attended by Union of Thracian Societies in Bulgaria Chair Krassimir Premyanov, Sliven Metropolitan Arsenius, representatives of the Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Istanbul, deputies, mayors, and public figures. Military personnel from the Navy and the National Guard participated in the rituals and the ceremonial inspection.