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Bulgarian president urges to take monuments to Soviet warriors with respect

Rosen Plevneliev noted that "issues of preservation of historical monuments are the duty of local and central authorities"

© EPA/VASSIL DONEV

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SOFIA, February 04. /ITAR-TASS/. Europe should take with respect numerous monuments to Soviet warriors-liberators, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said in an exclusive interview with Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

“Each nation should respect history as it is,” Plevneliev noted. “My appeal concerns not only Russian and Soviet monuments, but also all other monuments,” he added. “People should know and respect history. For me as the president it is very important to discuss issues of history openly and honestly. History does not tolerate any manipulations. I will always and in every possible way seek for history to be as it is - objective and based on facts. This means that we should also take with respect historical monuments and everything that is related to history,” the president noted.

“Bulgaria’s history is the history of a country standing at historical crossroads,” Plevneliev noted. “Many civilizations embarked on their path exactly here,” he added. “Bulgarian people were always distinguished with tolerance, kindness and patriotism. They always sought to show their rich history. Therefore, my appeal concerns not only Russian and Soviet monuments, but also all monuments in Bulgaria. I ask to take history with respect. Pass it to future generations in the way it was, objectively and honestly,” he added.

Plevneliev agreed that Russia can particularly care about Russian monuments in Bulgaria, but at the same time he noted that “issues of preservation of historical monuments are the duty of local and central authorities.”

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