On the 26^nd of March, H. E. Mr. Alexios Marios Liberopoulos, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Hellenic Republic to the Republic of Bulgaria, and his wife Mrs. Theodora Petrou,

gave a reception on the occasion of the national holiday of the country in the hotel Sofia Balkan Palace.

The Independence Day - March 25^th, is the date on which the Greeks celebrate the anniversary of the 1821 uprising, which led to their liberation from Turkish domination and the establishment of an independent Greek state in 1830.

The reception on the occasion of the 203^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of Greece was honoured by the officials, ambassadors, diplomats, businessmen, journalists and representatives of the many Greek communities in our country.

In his address to the guests H. E. Mr. Alexios Marios Liberopoulos said:

Prime Minister,

Ministers, Deputy Ministers,

Your Eminence,

Mayor, dear colleagues, dear guests, dear friends,

Thank you for joining us in celebrating our 203 years since the beginning of the fight of Greeks for their liberation from the Ottoman Empire. It was the 25^th of March in 1821 when the revolution started. It was a fight against all odds, but our ancestors succeeded. United in arms and united in faith.

Today, Greece, being a member of the European Union and NATO, OSCE, OECD and many more international organizations is acting in the international scene based on our long history and tradition, on international law as well as on principles and values of the UN and all other organizations we are part of.

In this context, and in the framework of rather difficult geopolitical circumstances, with wars, conflicts and terrorist attacks, and so much unjustified suffering and loss of human life in the vicinity of our wider neighborhood, we are counting on our good neighbors and friends such as Bulgaria and its’ people. To work closely together is not only a necessity but also a choice.

Greece and Bulgaria’s strategic cooperation has been strengthened significantly over the past 2 years. A game changer was the gas Interconnector Greece – Bulgaria (IGB) whose one year of functioning we celebrated a few months ago. Then followed so many energy, transport, infrastructure and connectivity projects as well as enhanced cooperation in areas such as defense, security, tourism, business and trade. The volume of our bilateral trade reached, in 2023, 6,2 bn Euros and the Greek Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Bulgaria amounted, at the end 2023, to almost 3 bn Euros.

The further enhancement of our bilateral relations was also reflected in our frequent exchange of high level visits. 

We need to keep deepening our cooperation if we want to be stronger and more resilient. We should safeguard international law and the security environment in our neighborhood, including energy security. I am confident that Greece and Bulgaria will continue to work closely together to further enhance our bonds of friendship and mutual understanding to the benefit of the security and prosperity of our peoples and our region and beyond.

Let me at this point congratulate Bulgaria for acceding to Schengen, even partially for now, and to reiterate Greece’s strong support to Bulgaria’s full accession to Schengen, including the land borders, as well as to the Eurozone and OECD, the soonest possible.

Let me also thank the Presidency, the Government and all Bulgarian Authorities, for their always open door in order to discuss issues of common interest.

In closing, allow me to also thank our sponsors who made this event possible: POSTBANK, The Hellenic Business Council in Bulgaria (HBCB), EKO Bulgaria, ETEM – GESTAMP, Selected Brands who provided us with the traditional greek Ouzo PLOMARI, and of course, last but not least, The Sofia Balkan Palace and its owner, Mr. Daskalantonakis.

Thank you all for being here tonight.

Long live Greece! Zήτω η Ελλάδα!

Ζήτω η 25^η Μαρτίου! Χρόνια πολλά! “

At the reception, the guests had the opportunity to taste the Greek cuisine included traditional for this day deash "bakaliaro and scordalia" and enjoy the wines of a famous greek wine cellar.

The photos are provided by the Embassy of the Hellenic Republic in the Republic of Bulgaria.