STATE VISIT BY PRESIDENT OF BULGARIA REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT STATE DINNER
STATE VISIT BY PRESIDENT OF BULGARIA REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT STATE DINNER, DUBLIN CASTLE, MONDAY 12 DECEMBER, 2005
Mr. President, Taoiseach, Tánaiste, distinguished guests,
Is mór an onóir dom, faílté a chur romhat anseo anocht.
I am honoured to welcome you here tonight as we celebrate the first State Visit by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria to Ireland.
Mr. President, your journey to Dublin bridges Europe’s East and its West, from the Black Sea to the Atlantic. It’s a visit that is not measured just in miles but in the bringing of two peoples, two cultures together in enhanced friendship.
You come to Ireland in the week that both our countries mark the fiftieth anniversary of membership of the United Nations. We both joined at a time when Europe was divided by mistrust, suspicion and fear. Ireland and Bulgaria were then on opposite sides of the ideological divide. But through our work in defending the UN Charter and upholding its principles, the troops of Ireland and Bulgaria grew a store of common memories and experiences and a shared pride in the contribution each has made to UN peacekeeping operations in many continents.
And now comes the prospect of an even deeper partnership between us as Bulgaria anticipates membership of the European Union. The creation of the Union is one of history’s most remarkable triumphs for, out of the chaos of conflict, old enemies, winners and losers, freely chose a new future based on partnership and peace.
A very poor and under-developed Ireland joined the then EEC over thirty years ago. It opened up to us a landscape of both opportunity and obligation which have been powerful and beneficial forces for change and progress. Some feared our independence and our unique culture might be overwhelmed, yet today we make a remarkable contribution to European civic society and our culture has never been more vibrant or confident. We can now see clearly that while we needed Europe, Europe ‘s family of nations would be incomplete without Ireland and what is true for us is also true for Bulgaria.
The story of Europe is the story of its many different peoples and so often it has been a story of waste and conflict. Now a new generation feels the surging power that comes from working together, from seeking consensus and from looking out for one another as well as ourselves. It is so essential that we get to know one another as neighbours and friends if Europe is to achieve its potential. Situated at opposite sides of Europe it is not surprising that Ireland and Bulgaria had relatively little contact in the past. Yet, once we probe each other’s history, striking parallels and common themes emerge which make it considerably easier to relate to one another.
We both have a strong sense of the antiquity of our civilizations. Tomorrow you will visit Newgrange, the physical remains of a society and culture that disappeared millennia ago but is a profound and intriguing part of our heritage.
The introduction of Christianity and writing had a dynamic impact on what were already rich and complex Irish and Bulgarian cultures. In Ireland the Latin script was adapted to the Irish language and Irish became the first written language of Western Europe. In the East, Cyril and Methodius devised the script which became the glory of Bulgarian culture and the precious inheritance of the Slavs. In Ireland as in Bulgaria, our monasteries were to become great centres of art and learning.
We were both to endure, also, centuries of political domination and cultural suppression until the rise of national independence movements in the nineteenth century: and, although expressed in very different ways, issues of language and religion were potent elements in these movements. We know the difficulties of the birth of a nation, of war and loss, of divided territory and divided people. We know too the pride we take in maintaining through dark and dreadful times our identity and our insistence on our right to dignity, freedom and equality.
Mr. President, I do not pretend that our stories are the same. They could never be, but they are so dramatic and revealing that I hope they spur us to the kind of respectful curiosity about one another that will make for a peaceful , egalitarian and prosperous Europe. Already many Irish families are contributing to your thriving tourist industry drawn by your beautiful coasts and mountains. Planes will be taking them to the ski slopes in the coming weeks. These human contacts should never be underestimated for they are important bridges to each other’s lives, stories and perspectives. That is why your visit to Ireland, Mr. President, means so much to us. We hope you are enjoying the Irish welcome and this trip will give a fresh new impetus to the growing network of endeavour which is linking Ireland and Bulgaria. We wish you and your people well in the journey to accession and look forward to welcoming you as a neighbour, friend and partner whose future and ours are inextricably linked by geography and the new history we are creating together.
Your presence here tonight is a milestone on the journey we have begun.
I would now like to propose a toast to you, Mr. President, and to the people of Bulgaria.
Sláinte! Nazdrave!