On October 10, H. E. Mr. Miguel Alonso Berrio, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Spain to the Republic of Bulgaria, and his wife, Mrs. Monika Kapráliková,

hosted a reception at their residence in honor of Spain's National Day. Its date — October 12 — is associated with the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

The event was attended by numerous guests: official figures, including the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mrs. Natalia Kiselova, as well as deputy ministers, ambassadors, representatives of Bulgarian institutions, the business community, the media, Spaniards living in Bulgaria, and friends of the Spanish language and culture.

E. Mr. Miguel Alonso Berrio addressed the guests with a welcoming speech:

My wife and I are honored to extend you our warmest welcome. We are thankful that you accepted our invitation to celebrate with us the Spanish National Day in this cold autumn day at the residence of the Spanish Embassy.

Each of us individually we proudly represent our nations. Collectively we enact the friendship of an international community that shares common values and actively engages in dialogue and cooperation.

Our elders founded the United Nations 80 years ago on the determination to save us from the scourge of war, on the faith in human rights, human dignity, equal rights for men and women as well as nations, international law and social progress.

This ambitious program has had a mixed record. Not far away from here, Ukraine is facing an unjustified, unprovoked aggression that defies basic principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Middle East has experienced another cycle of Terror and dreadful violence. Some voices claim that multilateralism is outdated and inefficient. And yet, with our commitment and unity, it is the only sure path for truly lasting and just peace. Otherwise bare power would dictate its terms. Peace without justice would simply be a fragile truce, a timeout to gather strength for another assault.

In this year 2025 we also celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Schumann Declaration. It starts with the words: “World peace cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it”. From its beginning, European integration has not simply been a marketplace. Its ultimate goal was to preserve the peace, security and prosperity of a community of democracies. And this is still the case today.

40 years ago, in 1985, Spain along with Portugal signed the Accession Treaty to the then European Communities. We were 10 members. We are now 27. Among them, Bulgaria. We both culminated our aspirations to join this commonwealth of liberal democracies. Last year we celebrated the accession of Bulgaria to the Schengen area. Now we rejoice for its up-coming accession to the Eurozone that will allow Bulgaria to participate on an equal footing in the making of the monetary union.

Membership in the EU and NATO has created an unprecedented close relationship between Bulgaria and Spain that goes beyond the frequency of meetings between authorities and officials at all levels. We have developed an excellent bilateral cooperation with the Ministries of Education, Interior, Defence, Culture or Transport, among others. In a few weeks, Bulgarian and Spanish scientists will once again meet in the Antarctica as they have done for three decades.

But the backbone of our bilateral relations is the work of entrepreneurs, workers, students and families who build it day by day. Some of them are with us today, including the teachers of our 17 bilingual Gymnasiums. More than one hundred thousand Bulgarian citizens live in Spain. They are fully integrated members of our society contributing to our prosperity and diversity and strengthening our cultural and social ties.

Spain is country where foreigners feel at home. Millions of visitors and residents might attest it. The early XVII century writer Lope de Vega once wrote:

Oh, sweet and dear Spain,

stepmother of your true children,

and with strange compassion

pious mother and guest of foreigners!

Indeed, in the past too often Spain behaved as the stepmother of her children forcing them to exile. For 5 centuries, Sephardic communities found haven in Bulgarian lands preserving their identity and language. Some of them are here with us.

In this quick review, I do not want to forget the Spanish companies that have devoted energies and efforts in creating wealth in Bulgaria. In particular, let me thank our partners. We are indebted for their generosity in contributing to this National Day. They are: Atusa, Etem Gestamp, Montecanal, Indra, Melia and Roca.

We live in changing times. The Russian thinker Alexander Herzen once said that after any revolution the departing world "leaves behind not an heir, but a pregnant widow”. In these days of disinformation and meaningless sound and fury let’s make our personal contributions to foster a healthy child.

I should like to close with a quote attributed to the Medieval Muslim Spanish philosopher Averroes. He said, “Ignorance leads to fear, fear leads to hatred, and hatred leads to violence”.

May today's reception allow us to know each other better, to love each other even more, or at least to be diplomatically kind to one another.

The ambassador’s wish came true. Perhaps because October 12, besides being Spain’s national holiday, is also the Day of the Spanish Nation and Culture — celebrated by Spanish-speaking people all over the world, that is, by more than 500 million people in 21 countries. That is why, at the reception — in the halls and gardens of the residence — the beautiful Spanish language could be heard everywhere. All the guests conversed with passionate "Spanish" spirit — about the elements of Spanish culture that have enriched the world, about the incomparable Spanish cuisine and exquisite wines they eagerly tasted, and about their memories of the beautiful Spanish cities they had visited…

The musical background – live guitar performances – also contributed to the cheerful Spanish spirit lingering in the atmosphere.

Photos courtesy of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in the Republic of Bulgaria.

Above: H. E. Mr. Miguel Alonso Berrio, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Spain to the Republic of Bulgaria, delivers his welcoming address.