Bulgaria and Serbia’s Prime Ministers Plamen Oresharski and Ivica Dačić, respectively, attended the official unveiling of the monument of Vasil Levski in Tsaribrod, Serbia. The town’s mayor Nebojsa Ivanov and the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Trace Group Hold PLC. Assoc. Prof. Nikolay Mihaylov, PhD also were present at the inauguration ceremony. The monument of the eminent Bulgarian revolutionary is a sculpture by Prof. Valentin Starchev and was donated to Serbia’s Dimitrovgrad municipality by TRACE PLC.
The erection of Vasil Levski’s monument was initiated by the municipality in response to the wishes of the Bulgarian minority living in Dimitrovgrad. The event turned into a landmark celebration for the whole region. The town square saw more than 2,000 persons from Serbia and Bulgaria.
Bulgarian PM Oresharski expressed his firm conviction that the monument in Dimitrovgrad would symbolise the mutual understanding between the two brotherly nations, which over the years had been tested repeatedly: “If Levski was among us now, I’m sure he would have given us a stern look and urged us to work even harder for the Fatherland, and ask us why we have not yet built his pure and holy republic and leave us his vision for Bulgaria as part of the community of free nations.”
Serbian PM Ivica Dacic said that it was time for building good and tolerant relations: “We have not always been smart in history, but today, I want your and our children never to go to war against each other again, but to open up factories together. The word “Balkans” comprises two Turkish words Bal-Kan, which mean blood and honey. Enough with blood, it is time for honey”, the Serbian Prime Minister said, calling for holding a joint meeting of the two governments to discuss, inter alia, cross-border cooperation between Serbia and Bulgaria.
He pledged the Serbian government will work together with the Bulgarian National Council to resolve issues faced by the Bulgarian minority in Serbia.
Dimitrovgrad Mayor Nebojša Ivanov extended his gratitude to the donor Prof. Mihaylov, the monument’s sculptor Prof. Valentin Starchev and Academician Anton Donchev, thanks to all of whom the realisation of the 30-year-long dream of the Bulgarians in Tsaribrod became possible.
“What is Levski for me – fire and morals”, Prof. Mihaylov declared from the speakers’ platform. He did not conceal his excitement and went on to share that he had made his decision to support the initiative of building the monument during a conversation with the mayor in a flash of only 30 seconds.
The ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Culture Petar Stojanovic, the Secretary for Culture and National Identity of the President Assoc. Prof. Martin Ivanov, Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Serbia Prof. Dr. Angel Dimitrov, Sofia University’s Rector Prof. Ivan Ilchev, the Chairman of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria Ognyan Donev, Bulgarian academicians, scholars, mayors of neighbouring municipalities.