08/04/2025 | 11:15:58 Thank you, Madam Chair. Esteemed colleagues, American historian Ms Anne APPLEBAUM once said that liberal societies can be destroyed not just from the outside, but from within, unless we choose to protect them. That warning rings true today. Our democracy is threatened. Autocratic influence is trying very hard to seep in. Since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, the international order has been under growing pressure. And even more so after the start of the full-scale Russian war of... 30/01/2025 | 12:59:30 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Dear Mister President, Dear colleagues, Let me start with a story. It was 1 February 1945 when the so-called People’s Court was set up in Bulgaria by the Soviet-installed authorities. Thousands were convicted, including 2 730 sentenced to death and thousands of imprisonments. Very few attorneys had the courage to follow their professional duty and represent the accused before that politically-motivated Court. They served with honour, but... 29/01/2025 | 13:04:45 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Dear Madam Chair, distinguished colleagues, I will vote for the draft resolution. It is very true that quality history education is particularly important for understanding the conflicting nuances of the past and the complexities of the present. History of each and every one of our countries unfortunately has such events. In two days, my country Bulgaria marks the Day of Appreciation and Tribute to the Victims of the Communist Regime... 27/01/2025 | 17:35:23 Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2 Honourable chair, distinguished colleagues, As a representative of one of the countries engaged in a post-monitoring dialogue, I will support the resolution on Progress of the Assembly’s monitoring procedure (January – December 2024) and welcome the Assembly’s commitment to assist us in fulfilling our membership obligations. In regards to the latest developments in Bulgaria, just 10 days ago the Bulgarian parliament elected the 3rd regular... 03/10/2024 | 10:54:37 Thank you, Mister Chair, Dear colleagues, Holodomor means hunger meant to inflict that. These are the semantics of our universally recognised historical term. The very name of the massive starvation cries out that the famine was intentionally brought upon its victims. The Holodomor in the 1930s was methodically planned and executed by the Soviet regime. As Ukrainian farmers were starving to death, the authorities confiscated more than four million tons of grain, an amount which would have... 01/10/2024 | 13:03:05 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Dear Mr Chair, Dear Colleagues, I will support the resolution, with an emphasis on elaborating a counter-propaganda approach without chaining freedom of expression and freedom of information. Fighting harmful propaganda in a balanced, yet decisive manner, is both an universal challenge and a common responsibility for our Member States. The digital age of lightning fast spread of information will be replaced by a future where lights could be... 26/06/2024 | 11:20:57 Thank you, Mister Chair. Dear colleagues, First of all, I would like to congratulate all our three rapporteurs for their excellent work. I will focus on the issue of sanctions in my short intervention. First, allow me to disagree with the fact that the sanctions don't work. Yes, they're not the most effective tool to end this horrible war. But we need them because, for the moment, they're the only effective peaceful tool at our disposal. That's why I think that we should unite the effort of... 25/06/2024 | 13:10:51 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Dear Mister chair, Dear colleagues, I will support the resolution on strengthening the youth perspective in the work of the Parliamentary Assembly. Young people are our future. It is not just a pompous phrase. It is the reality. Isn’t it, then, more than necessary to make sure that those who will live in that future participate in the decision-making shaping it now? Not just participate but be responsible for it. I think it is the wise thing... 17/04/2024 | 17:04:21 Thank you, Mister President. Dear colleagues, Today we are discussing three resolutions that are dealing with different aspects of one monstrosity threatening our home of freedom, democracy and rule of law: Putin’s totalitarian regime and its war on democracy. I would like to thank the rapporteurs for their excellent work. Thank you. I will support all three resolutions. The murder of Alexei Navalny on behalf of Putin’s regime is yet another shocking proof of its criminal character. The... 26/01/2024 | 13:01:39 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Dear Mr Chair, Dear colleagues, Dear Mr Fassino, thank you for the detailed report. Monitoring procedure is one of the CE’s tools for dialogue with the member states. Therefore I would like to elaborate on some aspects of Bulgaria’s contribution to the process in 2023. After having 5 Parliamentary Elections for the last two years, now we have achieved political stability and we have a Government elected by the Parliament. Political parties...