National Day Message by H. E. Mrs. Latifa Benazza, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria to the Republic of Bulgaria

Excellencies, Friends of Algeria in Bulgaria, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour for me to welcome each and every one of you to Algeria's National Day celebration, marking my country's 66^th anniversary of the uprising against colonialism and the fight for recovering its sovereignty on November 1^st, 1954. I wish we were gathered together like every year to see each other, exchange ideas, listen to good music and relish some traditional Algerian dishes.

Let me therefore seize this happy occasion to shed some light on Algeria's bilateral relations with the Republic of Bulgaria, the progress that my country has realized so far and the actual situation in the country.

Excellencies, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Relations between Algeria and Bulgaria date back to before our independence, following which the two states intensified their cooperation resulting in decades of friendship. Exchanges of high-level visits have strengthened the links for the common good of both peoples. These have certainly opened and widened new horizons of collaboration across several areas.

Efforts on economic and commercial levels have enabled significant progress through the organization of business forums in both countries. Discussions on the development of tourism have been put forward during the visit of the Algerian Minister of tourism to Bulgaria in 2019. The Bulgarian expertise in this area is beneficial to my country.

As far as the cultural cooperation is concerned, many activities were organized in Bulgaria. Numeral events exhibiting the richness of traditional dress, crafts, culinary arts, literature and films were presented to the Bulgarian public. 

Excellencies, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Algeria has stressed the need to diversify its economy by undertaking a number of ambitious development and industrialization agendas. It is currently searching for potential foreign partners in order to reach win-win objectives.

My country has successfully achieved most of the Millennium Development Goals, while establishing a true pluralist democracy and social justice. Integrated institutional structures, based on citizenship and participatory democracy within the framework of the rule of law are being built. It is pursuing its economic growth while.

Excellencies, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I cannot miss the current subject catching the eyes of the entire world: the pandemic of Covid-19. Along with other countries, Algeria has witnessed the first case last February. Gradually, the pandemic spread throughout all the territory. According to official data, there have been 56 319 people diagnosed with Covid-19 and 1 922 lost their lives since the beginning the crisis. The authorities swiftly responded to this threat by taking urgent actions and measures to limit the propagation of the coronavirus. Closing the borders, quarantine, confinement, isolation in hotspots, hygiene and mask wearing are some of the obligations people have to endure.

It is also worth mentioning that the representative of the   World Health Organization (WHO) to Algeria has praised the efforts carried out in containing the pandemic. Due to the rise of the number of coronavirus contaminations in recent weeks, throughout the world and in Algeria, the authorities and health professionals are multiplying calls for vigilance and respect of barrier measures.

Excellencies, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Before the pandemic brought the world to a standstill, Algeria has Known a wave of peaceful protests – (Hirak -Movement) which have fascinated the world. The outcome has been the election of a new President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, in December 2019. As he promised during the campaign trail, he reached out to the Hirak movement to shape a "New Algeria", strengthening the unity of the nation and consolidating the constants of national identity by proposing constitutional changes.

On November 1^st, 2020,a symbolic date marking the start of our glorious Revolution 66 years ago, a new constitution will be submitted to popular Referendum. This constitution, which will further protect the rights of the citizens, will be the cornerstone in the process of building reliable and better functioning institutional structures.

Excellencies, Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Finally, with regard to Algerian-Bulgarian relations, I would like to reiterate my full commitment in working towards consolidating, developing and extending bilateral partnerships in all areas. I would also like to thank those from the Bulgarian Government, the Private sector and the civil society who are involved in making our partnerships fruitful.

I would also like to greet, on this occasion, the members of the Algerian community living in Bulgaria and extend to them my best wishes of good health and happiness, and encourage them to continue, through their work, to support the Algeria-Bulgaria relations.

I am most grateful to the many individuals and organizations that link the two countries through their projects and passions. They are symbolized by the "Friendship Association Bulgaria-Algeria", which accounts among its members, distinguished individuals of all ages, promising to build on the efforts of past generations.

A special message of gratitude goes to the enlarged team of the "Diplomatic Spectrum" and more precisely to the editor in chief Mrs. Ekaterina Pavlova. May she find here a special thank for the exceptional work she is doing to link the diplomatic community and share their activities with the friendly Bulgarian people.

Glory to our martyrs! Long live to Algeria-Bulgaria friendship!

Sofia, November 2020

The photo is provided by the Embassy of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria to the Republic of Bulgaria. On it: H. E. Mrs. Latifa Benazza, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria to the Republic of Bulgaria