Victims of Fight for Freedom Honoured by Commemorating Hristo Botev

Victims of Fight for Freedom Honoured by Commemorating Hristo Botev

Bratislava, June 2 (TASR) – The one who falls in the struggle for freedom does not die, said Bulgarian Ambassador to Slovakia Yordanka Chobanova, recalling the words of Bulgarian poet Hristo Botev during Friday’s ceremony commemorating the heroes who fell in the fight for independence and freedom.

In her speech, which was preceded by laying wreaths on the memorial of Bulgarian citizens who fell during the Slovak National Uprising, the Bulgarian ambassador paid tribute to the victims of the fight for liberation. “We are commemorating those who sacrificed their youth and lives for our present and future. At this memorial we are paying tribute to the victims of the anti-Fascist fight, those who fell in the name of a sole desire,” she said.

Meanwhile, Chobanova stressed that time must not erase the memories of the heroes, turning to the young generation in this connection. “Let’s remember their messages, be good-hearted, tolerant and wise and let’s remember what duty and the motherland means,” she stressed. “I am positive that we can love our homeland and work for its welfare, just like Hristo Botev did,” she added.

The commemorative event took place on the occasion of Hristo Botev Day, which is observed in Bulgaria to commemorate those who fell during the struggle for freedom. Botev, who fell at the age of 28 in the fight against Turkish supremacy, is a symbol of the Bulgarian fight for independence.

The ceremony was held in attendance of representatives of foreign embassies in Slovakia. Wreaths to the memorial at Vajanske Nabrezie in Bratislava were also laid by officials of the Slovak President’s Office, the Defence Ministry, the Association of Anti-fascist Fighters, city councillors, as well as representatives of associations run by members of the Bulgarian minority living in Slovakia.

Pupils and students of the Bulgarian primary school and Hristo Botev Grammar School in Bratislava delivered cultural performances at the ceremony.