Recognizing The 100th Anniversary of the Independence of Bulgaria
RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF BULGARIA -- (House of Representatives - September 09, 2008)
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Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Thank you for this opportunity to speak on House Resolution 1383, a resolution recognizing the 100th anniversary of Bulgaria's independence. I want to thank the Ranking Member on the committee, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Chairman Howard Berman, in addition to Chairman Robert Wexler of the Subcommittee on Europe and Ranking Member of that subcommittee, Elton Gallegly of California, for their support in bringing this resolution to the floor.
I am grateful to serve as the cochair of the Bulgaria Caucus of Congress along with congresswoman Ellen Tauscher of California. We work for parliamentary exchanges between Bulgaria and America, along with hosting Bulgarian officials and citizens in Washington.
The people of Bulgaria should be proud that on September 22 of this year they will celebrate 100 years of independence.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Bulgaria struggled to free itself from the Ottoman Empire. Toward the end of that century, they once again fought to emerge from beneath Totalitarianism following the defeat of Communism. Bulgaria's story is a success because of the hard work and dedication of its people. They should be proud of these accomplishments.
On a personal note, 18 years ago I had the great honor to serve as an elected observer for Bulgaria's first and free elections as a participant with the International Republican Institute. At the time, I saw a nation battling the challenges of building a democratic society based on the rule of law. Communist Totalitarianism was replaced by freedom and democracy.
Bulgarians have faced the opportunities and the difficulties associated with building a prosperous free economy.
Additionally, just last month I served and visited with American troops stationed in Bulgaria on a codel led by Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo of Guam, and I am proud to report that the immense economic and diplomatic progress the people of Bulgaria have made is remarkable. We were hosted by the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Solomon Passy. Chairman Passy served with great distinction as the former foreign minister of Bulgaria.
We met with former Bulgarian Minister to Greece Stephan Stoyanov, along with Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, and National Assembly Speaker Georgi Pirinski. During my visit to Bulgaria in 2005, I was honored to be hosted by President Georgi Parvanov.
Indeed, the World Bank recently classified Bulgaria as one of the top 10 nations to have undertaken important economic reforms to attract business investment. Bulgaria, admitted to the European Union in 2007, is the only EU Nation to be listed in the top 10.
In closing, we should recognize the people of Bulgaria for their continued support in the global war on terrorism. I have visited Bulgarian troops in Afghanistan and was proud that my son, Alan, served with Bulgaria during his year of service in Iraq.
As a dynamic member of NATO since 2004 and as a nation of free and democratic people, Bulgaria has stood with America in these difficult times. The partnership with America has never been stronger, built by Bulgaria's ambassador to the United States, Elena Poptodorova.
So today we recognize this immense achievement of theirs and commend them on 100 years of independence.
Again, I want to thank Chairman Berman, Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen, subcommittee Chairman Wexler and subcommittee Ranking Member Gallegly for their work today.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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