DAY OF COURAGE AND OUR WAY TO EUROPE
10.05.2013
During the occasion of "Victory in Europe Day-9th of May" and Bulgarian army national holiday (St. George Day), on the location of the monument of the Bulgarian Armed Forces in Nis,  dedicated to the fallen soldiers in the final part of the fight against the German invaders in the former Yugoslavia, and which was built in 1948. in the Nis settlement of Ledena Stena, delegation of the Bulgarian Embassy in Belgrad, delegation Palilula-Nis and the National Council of the Bulgarian national minority in Serbia laid wreaths on the monument.   "We came to this memorial to honor the Bulgarian troops (about 2,500 thousand) who died and were buried here during the liberation of Niš from occupying forces together with their comrades from Yugoslavia“, said His Exelency Angel Dimitrov, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria in Belgrade. „Of course, this also coincides with the day of Europe that symbolizes our journey to Europe. For me it is a great pleasure that the president of Municipality of Palilula-Nis, on the territory of which lays the monument, is here with us. On this occasion, I want to thank him for the memorial that is very well maintained. We are pleased with our bilateral relationship, mostly in the fields of culture and economy. I always say that the economy connects people but culture is bringing them more closer together.“

Emil Šipočki, Military Attaché of the Republic of Bulgaria in Belgrade and Atanas V.Krstin, Consul General, Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Nis also laid wreaths at the memorial.  Boban Dzunic, President of Palilula Municipality, who laid a wreath at the memorial, said that in the territory of Palilula among the many monuments and military cemeteries, this memorial charnel house, built in 1948 occupies an important place in Municipality of Palilula, and it is dedicated to the members of the Bulgarian Armed Forces who died in the Second World War, in the final part of the fight against the German occupying forces in the former Yugoslavia. Our municipality has an excellent cooperation with the Embassy and the Consulate of the Republic of Bulgaria and meaningful project activity with the Bulgarian cities: Svoge, Kustendil, Bobov Dol, Botevgrad, Ihtiman, through IPA CBC Programme Serbia-Bulgaria- said president Džunić. Bulgaria is an EU member country and our country is expecting a date for the start of the negotiations on the EU membership. Cooperation and exchange of experience in this way is very important to us. We had a substantial bilateral talks on cooperation and projects that we hope to achieve this year with Mr. Angel Dimitrov, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria in Belgrade and Atanas Krstin, Consul General Consulate of Bulgaria in Nis.

With the support of the City of Nis and Municipality of Palilula, Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments in Nis in 2005 developed the project of restoration and conservation of the memorial. Some of the works have been completed at the time of the inter-state agreement and in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria. We are looking for new project opportunities to fully complete the reconstruction and development of the memorial park area.

According to Perica Stojčev, Member of the Executive Council of the National Council of the Bulgarian national minority in Serbia, Cooperation of Municipality of Palilula with municipalities in Bulgaria is very good. And we, as a National Council of the Bulgarian national minority, we are trying to contribute to a better understanding, cooperation between the two neighboring and brotherly people here in the Balkans. Our people are very close in language, culture, national identity, religion. That is why we are more knowledgeable than others to cooperate, said Stojcev.

Europe Day is the occasion for activities that bring Europe closer to its citizens and people. "Europe will not occur all at once, or within a single, comprehensive structures, it will be created by way of concrete results, which are primarily achieved by solidarity in action" - written in 1950 "Schumman declaration“. Successful cooperation between cities and municipalities in the border area between Serbia and Bulgaria, with the support of the European Union, is an example of good practice and cooperation in the region. It is encouraging! (Ecopolis Network, D. Vidojkovic).