The foreign ministers of Bulgaria and Germany, Ekaterina Zaharieva and Heiko Maas, Thursday met in Berlin and then marked the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between their countries by opening a concert, the Foreign Ministry said. The Chamber Orchestra of the Sofia Philharmonic performed in the French Cathedral in Gendarmenmarkt Square under the baton of Nayden Todorov.

Zaharieva, who is also a Deputy Prime Minister, said the ties between the two countries, which are some of the oldest in Europe, date back to the year 843 when the First Bulgarian
Kingdom and the German Kingdom signed a treaty. “The important thing is that we are partners, allies and close friends now. German investments in Bulgaria total 3 billion euro and one million German tourists visit Bulgaria every year,” she said.

Maas concurred with his Bulgarian counterpart, saying that 140 years is a child’s birthday when viewed in the context of centuries of shared history. The two countries have always been
linked, especially through culture, regardless of the political systems. There are also the 350,000 Bulgarians resident in Germany, and the shared yearning for a united Europe, which will not divide into East and West, North and South.

Zaharieva thanked Germany for its leadership role in the process of European integration of the Western Balkans and for its support for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

For his part, Maas stressed that Bulgaria’s foreign policy is worthy of respect both for its efforts towards the European integration of the Western Balkans and for the Treaty of
Friendship, Goodneighbourliness and Cooperation with North Macedonia, which sets an example to the entire region. He said he wished the other countries were as brave as Bulgaria.

The event was attended by Vezhdi Rashidov, Chairman of Bulgaria’s parliamentary Culture and Media Committee, representatives of the diplomatic corps in Berlin, Bulgaria’s
honorary consuls in Germany, Germans doing business in Bulgaria and Bulgarians who live in Berlin.

 

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