Speech by the Head of State Mr. Rumen Radev at the Shipka Monument on the Occasion of 143 Years of the Liberation of Bulgaria

Dear compatriots,

It is once again the third of March and thousands of us have gathered here in front of the Sanctuary of Liberty.

I would like to ask you something: have you ever expected that someone would dare forbid you to climb to the top of Shipka?!

Have you expected that someone would dare infringe upon your right to pay homage to those to whom we owe our freedom?!

Thank you for being here!

Because Shipka is a sacred place, Shipka is the ossuary of the “handful of Spartans”: our militia volunteers and the warriors of the Russian Emperor Alexander II, our Liberator.

Vazov said of the volunteers: “The whole of Bulgaria is now watching us”. The truth is that Bulgaria always, in every single era, watches each and every one of us. Because heroic epics are rare, but dignity and integrity are put to the test every day.

With your presence here, dear compatriots, you help today’s generations of Bulgarians pass the test of history, the test of morality and the test of democracy.

Because power is in the hands of the people, but the people must defend it. There is always someone there to take it away, someone to restrict and someone to encroach upon it.

Soon our time will become history. But it depends on us whether future generations will address what we have done with anger or with gratitude.

One thing is clear: history is a lesson, heroism is an inspiration, but no nation can rest on the laurels of its dead heroes.

We need faith,
We need efforts,
Actions are needed, not words, as the Apostle of Freedom once said.
Happy Liberation Day to you all!
Long live Bulgaria!