Iliana Iotova represents Bulgaria at the Fourth Council of Europe Summit

Guaranteeing human rights cannot be based only in documents. Any attempt to violate them must be met with a firm rebuff and strong action. This was stated by Vice President Iliana Iotova, who took part in a round table " Countering new and emerging human rights challenges – the future is already here," held within the framework of the 4th Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik.

HoSG from 46 countries are in the Icelandic capital to reaffirm the unity of the Council of Europe around the common values on which the organisation is built - democracy, rule of law, human rights. HoSG of Albania, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Iceland, Portugal, the UK, Latvia, as well as the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights attended the Round Table.

Europe is living from crisis to crisis, this is causing even greater divisions in societies, inequalities are increasing, people are more and more opposed to each other, Iotova said. She highlighted the dangerous trend of deepening the trampling of human rights, won over through the decades and enshrined in the fundamental documents of the most important institution for the protection of human rights - the Council of Europe. More and more politicians allow themselves to talk about human rights as an obsolete or luxury policy. We must therefore be particularly watchful when confronted with intolerance, disregard for ethnic rights and discrimination.

The Vice President briefed the attendees on the systematic violation of the rights of Bulgarians in the Republic of North Macedonia.

The delegation led by the Vice President included the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Velislava Petrova.