The Presidents of Bulgaria and Ukraine Rosen Plevneliev and Petro Poroshenko unveiled a monument of the great Ukrainian poet, writer and public figure Taras Shevchenko at the Vazrazhdane square in Sofia.

Taras Shevchenko is a symbol of today’s independent Ukraine. Shevchenko’s deed and fate are a confirmation of the common historical fate the Bulgarian and Ukrainian people share, Rosen Plevneliev said in the solemn speech he delivered.  

In his speech the Head of State compared the works of the Patriarch of Bulgarian literature Ivan Vazov to those of Taras Shevchenko. Both of them lived in an age that gave birth to collections of poems such as Kobzar and Epopee of the Forgotten, the President said. In the Head of State’s words, Shevchenko’s legacy proves the unabating aspiration of the Ukrainian people towards the right to live and work in an independent, ethnically colorful, yet united Ukraine. “The aspiration of a people, which deserves its freedom today and its right to determine its national identity, which right the people’s poet and artist Taras Shevchenko also defended,” President Rosen Plevneliev further said.    

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko voiced his gratitude for implementing the project on Taras Shevchenko’s monument in the Bulgarian capital. “We pay tribute to the great son of the Ukrainian people. Taras Shevchenko is a spiritual guideline for every Ukrainian and an indispensable part of its national identity,” President Poroshenko said. In his opinion, the monument embodies the image of Ukraine –young and energetic, a country heading towards Europe.  

Symbolic is also the fact that the monument of the Ukrainian national hero is erected in close proximity to the monument of the Bulgarian poet and revolutionary Christo Botev – two prominent figures for our friendly nations, which built a temple of spirituality - a source of hope for millions of Ukrainians and Bulgarians, who have chosen and fought for the freedom and independence of their countries, President Petro Poroshenko added.    

The ceremony was attended by President (1997-2002) Petar Stoyanov, Assembly deputies, representatives of the diplomatic corps and the Ukrainian diaspora in Bulgaria.