The growing hate speech and the retreat from human rights protection were among the main topics of conversation between Bulgarian Head of State Iliana Iotova and American Jewish Committee CEO Theodore Deutch. The two met on the sidelines of the 62nd Munich Security Conference.

In recent decades, we have observed a severe regression in the defence of human rights. It is as if today it is not fashionable to speak about and work for their protection. This is not a topic on the agenda of world organisations, of European institutions. We need to bring this conversation back to the international level, said President Iotova.

The Bulgarian head of state and the CEO of the American Jewish Committee commented on the growing sentiment against the Jewish community. Representatives of the American Jewish Committee emphasised that the Bulgarian state and Bulgarian society are an example of good attitude towards the Jewish community.

In the modern world, societies seem to want to forget the dark years of the Holocaust. Even more worrying are the attempts to reformat history. States and societies must be together in the fight against these dangerous trends, President Iotova pointed out.

She added that Bulgaria is a shining example of a country that rescued its Jews thanks to the joint efforts of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, prominent politicians and intellectuals, and ordinary people. Twenty Bulgarian righteous people are recipients of the highest recognition for humanity of the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center, said the Bulgarian head of state. She introduced the representatives of the American Jewish Committee to her idea of creating a museum in Bulgaria for the rescue of Bulgarian Jews, which would not only collect history, but would also be directed towards the future.