Address by H. E. Mr. Anatoly Makarov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Bulgaria, on the occasion of the national holiday of the country

On the 12th of June, we celebrate the national holiday of our country – the Day of Russia. Russia has more than 17 million square kilometers of territory. It has more than 85 regions and 146 million inhabitants. It is also a special fusion of cultures, own historical path and the art of peaceful coexistence of almost two hundred different nationalities. I am sincerely proud of how our country is developing today, how it retains its dignity in a rather complex international environment, how it does not lose its identity in the context of globalization.

In the international arena, Russia continues to confidently defend its national interests, remaining open to seeking common ground. Our country has a unifying agenda and supports the provision of collective work in finding solutions to the fundamental problems of our time. In this regard, in January this year, the Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a meeting of the heads of state of the permanent members of the UN Security Council to discuss the military-political, economic and humanitarian aspects of the key challenges. They all supported this initiative and the meeting will necessarily take place after the normalization of the epidemiological situation.

It is often said that it is impossible to understand Russia. But it seems to me that our mutual trust and cooperation with you proves the opposite. Last year we marked the 140th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations. This date is emblematic, but it comes with responsibility. It once again reminds us of the importance of preserving and strengthening the centuries-old fraternal ties between the peoples of our countries, the foundations of which were laid by our ancestors. And we strive together with our Bulgarian partners to preserve and upgrade this foundation in the modern world. Recently, after a long break, the political dialogue between Russia and Bulgaria has intensified, contacts at the highest level resumed - something we have been waiting for a long time. Last autumn, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, visited Russia. We have big plans for the future. On the foreign policy agenda - the  Russian-Bulgarian political consultations in Moscow and the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov to Sofia, were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, there is something to strive for. The most important thing in the field of our cooperation is not to be indifferent people - true patriots of Russia and Bulgaria, who know that together we can do more.

The photo was provided by the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Bulgaria.