REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE, AT THE OFFICIAL DINNER HOSTED BY H.E. GEORGI PARVANOV
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE, AT THE OFFICIAL DINNER HOSTED BY H.E. GEORGI PARVANOV, PRESIDENT OF BULGARIA, SOFIA
Добър вечер, господин Президент и госпожо Първанова, уважаеми гости, дами и господа!
[Good evening, Mr President and Mrs Parvanova, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen]
I regard it as a great personal honour to be the first Irish Head of State to visit Bulgaria. I have long looked forward to this day.
I remember well, Mr President, your visit to Dublin in 2005 when Bulgaria was completing the arduous steps towards becoming a member of the European Union. Tonight we meet - Ireland and Bulgaria - as partners in Europe, with a shared future.
Ireland has always supported the enlargement of the European Union to embrace the states of Central and Eastern Europe that had been cut off from us for so long. We saw this not only as a duty that history had bequeathed us but also something that was vital for the peace of our continent and for our future prosperity. Here, in this region, you know the truth of this only too well.
We welcome, therefore, the contribution Bulgaria makes to the Union as a stable and responsible actor in its region and in the world. We value, in particular, the perspective that Bulgaria brings to issues such as the Western Balkans and the Caucasus.
We recognise too that we are all enriched by the cultural wealth which Bulgaria brings to the Union, so strongly symbolised by the introduction into the work of the European Union of a third alphabet. At the same time Ireland’s own Irish language was for the first time recognised as an official language of the Union. That along with a new alphabet and two new languages - Bulgarian and Romanian - greatly strengthened the linguistic and cultural diversity of the Union.
Two years ago, shortly after Bulgaria joined the European Union, I visited the tomb of Saint Cyril in the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome, which has been cared for by the Irish Dominicans for over three hundred years. Standing in a place that connects different strands of our continent’s history, and that also connects Ireland with Bulgaria, I was struck by how much has changed in Europe in our lifetime. Gone are the old suspicions based on fear and ideology; a divided continent is now reunited from the Atlantic to the Black Sea and we now work together in a Europe that is free and at peace, that is founded on shared values and principles, and that enjoys the benefits of the rule of good law.
Today we face a global financial and economic crisis that is without precedent in our lifetimes and which will leave no country unaffected. I do not underestimate the scale of the problems we face. In Irish, we say “Ní neart go chur le chéile,” strength lies in cooperation, and it is only by acting together that we can hope to find the mighty strength needed to overcome the great challenges before us.
The Irish people have consistently ranked among the most enthusiastic supporters of the European Union. We value the Union because we recognise its capacity for releasing our country’s potential and our continent’s potential, and the Irish people are determined to remain part of this ambitious and noble enterprise, which has delivered so many benefits during its short 50-year history.
Our partnership in Europe opens up new and exciting possibilities for cooperation and exchange. In the past five years, it is no exaggeration to say that our relationship has been transformed - our trade has expanded, Ireland has become a significant investor in Bulgaria, and the number of Irish tourists to Bulgaria has increased dramatically. We have seen an intensification of official contacts at all levels, particularly through the conduct of EU business. We are also seeing regular cultural and academic exchanges and I believe it is through these, in particular, that the people of Ireland and Bulgaria will get to know each other better and grow in friendship and good neighbourliness.
Mr President, I do not need to remind you that an important cultural exchange takes place in Dublin on Saturday. We look forward to that contest. In June we expect thousands of Irish fans to travel to Sofia, many of them for the first time, for the return game. I know they will be made feel as welcome then as I have been made to feel on this State Visit.
When we consider the history of Bulgaria and Ireland, in spite of distance, in spite of the lack of historical contact, there is so much that we have in common. We are both small nations, conscious and proud of our rich and complex heritage, countries that have suffered much and, since independence, have achieved much, despite inevitable setbacks along the way. We are part of a blessed generation to be now partners in Europe and to have this gift of friendship from which to harvest exciting new potential in the years to come.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I ask you to raise your glasses to toast the President and People of the Republic of Bulgaria and to our continuing friendship.