Dear compatriots,

This evening the whole world united around the shared belief and hope for a new beginning. And on New Year’s Eve, we, the Bulgarians, are drawing up plans for the future and are also taking stock of the old year.

Yet another difficult year for Bulgaria is drawing to an end.  It was marked by civil protests, by the mandate of two governments and two parliaments, and by a strong migration pressure. This evening we are not only changing the calendar, but we are also leaving the bad things in the past so that we can start moving ahead with the good things.  What we should take from 2013 is what gave a meaning to the year, namely – the enormous human and moral potential and the creative civil energy. Today this energy is everywhere and we should put it to creative use to serve the nation’s interests. The active civil society succeeded because it imposed the debate on the justice in the state and public sensitivity to political action. It has already become clear to everyone that what makes politicians strong is not their power, but their respectability, responsibility and performance. We should reject the irrational clashes and ensure continuity in government and agree on the good ideas which will secure progress for our country. The unity of the nation means the will and determination to achieve the national ideal together. Division distances us from the right road.

2013 was the year of the issues raised by the people and public energy. Now the time has come for responsible solutions. We should strengthen, not waste the public trust. We should restore the policy of values by lending an ear to the public voice and follow the example set by the people opening a new page in the country’s democratic history. We should put an end to indifference and the one-by-one survival. Progress is a collective endeavor. Only together can we build a European-type democracy and a fair state with a prospering economy.

Today it is important to find the points of mutual consent by seeking agreement and progress on the most important public topics. We should build on the democratic mechanisms and institutions in a manner that enhances democracy. We should support the real patriots and those that are ready to give, not to take. We should pave the way for the young, enterprising and good people by multiplying their deeds. The knowledgeable and capable, the united people who believe in their abilities succeed in the contemporary world. We should build Bulgaria with commitment and consistency, step-by-step.

What matters is not messiahs or populist promises but the ability of the institutions to impose order and rules for all by functioning professionally and consistently, no matter who is in power. Only the good government, showing concern for the people will make Bulgaria a richer country. The citizens clearly and unambiguously showed the real “pillars” about what the problems are and in what country they would like to live. They would like to have a worthy job, incomes and justice in their motherland, not to buy a one-way ticket and leave Bulgaria.

We should take heed not only of our mistakes, but also of our achievements in the transition years. We are no longer isolated behind the “Iron Curtain” – on the contrary, never have we been freer. Bulgaria is member of the most progressive community of states – the European Union. This change was not so much made by the political elite, but by the people who united for the sake of freedom, democracy and European development. We followed the will of Levski, Botev and a host of Bulgarian patriots to be member of a worthy family of the European peoples. However, we have not followed the will “to build a pure and sacred republic.” It is not true that Bulgarians have no goals. The representatives and leaders of the Bulgarian national Revival set the direction and the goal. This is what people have consolidated around! The Apostle gave the ideal and the solution by writing: “whether we will be equal with the other European peoples depends on our own united efforts.” In the past year the citizens reminded us once again what this means – freedom, democracy and European development, morale in public life and politics, a fair state with institutions working to the benefit of the people and a socially responsible economy. We should not allow anyone to divert us from the will of the leaders of the Bulgarian national Revival and to question the meaning and the path we have taken. It depends on each one of us.

The Bulgarian nation has always been capable of performing feats which we deservedly take pride in and which bring us prestige. Today, when our fatherland should give asylum to the people escaping from the horrors of war, we should yet again display compassion and assist those in trouble. So that we can be as we have always been: “a modest, yet courageous people who has set an incomparable example of courage and humanness.” So that our children can some day hear what I have heard from the descendants of the rescued Bulgarian Jews: “Thank you that we are alive!”

This evening, when we are together with our dearest people, I wish that all of us show unity and solidarity, the values we cherish and preserve in our families. We should not allow the differences to turn into barriers and the hardships to divide us. Every family overcomes difficulties by uniting, by showing mutual support and love. It is the same in society, which needs mutual respect, humanness, a belief in the good things, in the national ideal and universal values.

Our road is one of a glorious and united people, which have overcome the hardships of time more than once. I wish all Bulgarians, no matter where they are in the world, health, prosperity, peace and understanding. May we always be guided by the belief that the good days for our fatherland are yet to come.

Happy New Year!