H.E. Mr. Teimuraz Sharashenidze, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia

Let me express my sincere gratitude to the Bulgarian Diplomatic Review magazine for the great attention they paid to the friendship between our nations.
In June, Georgia and the Republic of Bulgaria will celebrate the 15th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. What happened? What is happening? And what lies ahead – the answers to these questions are crucial for the development and strengthening of the close, good, friendly relations, accumulated for centuries between the Georgian and the Bulgarian peoples.

So, what happened?
Friendly and cultural ties have always existed between us, by reason of the Orthodox religion.

The contacts between the two churches began and kept developing in the Christian orthodox centres in Constantinople, Athens and Jerusalem.

During the period of the Georgian Renaissance (11-12 c.) the Georgian monks from the Iverion monastery at Mount Athos published a dictionary of Bulgarian language and later the Georgian theologian Joane Chimchimeli translated from Bulgarian into Georgian the theological works of Theophylact. Theophylact’s interpretation of the Gospel of Luke and Mark was also translated. With the help of Theophylact himself, in 1083 the brothers Grigorii and Abazii Bakuriani founded in Bulgaria the Petrizianski (Bachkovo) monastery, which is a living monument to friendship. Here the theological and philosophic school of the prominent Georgian thinker Joane Petrizi was founded. This centre of culture and enlightenment played an extremely important, historical role in the spiritual drawing together of Georgians and Bulgarians.

For centuries Georgia, just like Bulgaria, led a continuous war for the preservation of its political and national independence. The whole history of Georgia is a heroic struggle for self-preservation.

A constellation of historical heroes left a deep trace in the memory of the Georgian people. The flourishing of the motherland and orthodoxy were crucial in the lives of the legendary kings Mirian, Vakhtang Gorgasali, Davit the Constructor, Giorgi the Magnificent, Vakhtand and Erekle, the queens Tamar and Ketevan.

Bloom and victory alternated with defeat and loss of independence – very similar to Bulgaria’s history during the rule of Simeon, Samuil and Kaloyan. Especially great is this similarity in the last centuries when internal discords unnerved the nations and made them an easy pray to the enemy.

Enlightenment in Georgia reached its apogee in the 12th century under Queen Tamar – contemporary of Kaloyan. A great Georgian poet of that period was Shota Rustaveli, author of the immortal poem “A Knight in a Panther’s Skin”. We have to stress especially on the interest of the Bulgarians in this masterpiece of world literature, which attracted the attention of Ivan Vazov. Later the Bulgarian poet Nikolay Liliev translated the introduction and part of the first legend from the original of “A Knight in a Panther’s Skin” (the work remained unfinished due to the poet’s death). The first translation of the poem was published by the talented translator, the poet Stoyan Bakardjiev.

The struggle for national liberation of the 19th c. occupies a special place in Bulgaria’s history. Georgian soldiers and volunteers lent a friendly hand to the Bulgarian people. It is symbolic that in the liberation and the salvation of the Bachkovo Monastery from fire, participated units under the command of the Georgian officer G. Gremeli. I would like to quote the words of Prince Andronikoshvili, with which he addressed the Georgian volunteers who set off for Bulgaria. “We, the Georgians, have no money to contribute, but we have life and blood that we would gladly give for the Orthodox cause.”

The struggle of the Bulgarian people was broadly covered in the Iveria newspaper, published by the Georgian writer Ilya Chavchavadze, where only in 1876, 39 editorials were dedicated to Bulgaria.

Meanwhile in France the book “History of Georgia” by the famous Bulgarian writer Ivan Vazov was published in French. He and Ilya Chavchavadze kept up an extensive correspondence.

Journalistic works and poetry were translated in Georgian and from Georgian to Bulgarian. The readers enthusiastically received the works of Akakii Tsereteli, Ilya Chavchavadze, G. Eristavi, N. Nikoladze, E. Gabashvili, Ivan Vazov, Hristo Botev, Lyuben Karavelov, etc.

Regardless of all the obstacles created artificially by the regimes that existed in our countries throughout the 20th century, the relations between the Georgian and the Bulgarian peoples have been deepening and consolidating.

Talented writers, poets and cultural figures continued the glorious traditions of their ancestors. A leitmotif in the art of that time was the restoration of lost statehood in Georgia and Bulgaria. With joy and interest the readers perceived the works of the Georgian and Bulgarian poets: G. Tabidze, I. Abashidze, G. Leonidze, I. Grishashvili, M. Machavariani, A. Sulakauri, M. Lebanidze, O. Nishnianidze, P. Yavorov, N. Vaptsarov, Hr. Smirnenski, D. Debelyanov, D. Gabe, E. Bagryana, V. Petrov.

At the end of the 20th c. the cherished dream of the peoples of Georgia and Bulgaria came true – the statehood and the independence of our states was restored. Bulgaria occupies a dignified place in the European community. Georgia was the first among the new states in the post-soviet space to embark on the road of democratic development and to establish civilized relations with all friendly states and neighbours.

A special place in these relations occupies Bulgaria. Together we are developing and building upon a solid foundation not only the political and economic ties, but also the spiritual bridge between the east and the west coast of the Black Sea.

What is happening?
On June 5, 1992 diplomatic relations were established between Georgia and Bulgaria. This period of cooperation between our states is characterized by establishment and strengthening of statehood, consolidation of the international situation and elimination of the internal obstacles and the heavy post-communist legacy.

Seizing the occasion, I have the honour from the pages of Bulgarian Diplomatic Review to wholeheartedly congratulate once more the people and the government of the Republic of Bulgaria on your accession to the European Union. For us, the close friends of Bulgaria, it is very important that the Bulgarian people has overcome the big internal and external hardships and has achieved the goal set – “restoration of its historical place within the European Community”.

The road covered by the Bulgarian people inspires the people of Georgia to follow this important example.

The cooperation between our countries is based on the common principles of international law and is conceived as a partnership between equals. To this contribute the narrow and friendly relations between the heads of state of our countries – H.E. Mr. Mikhail Saakashvili and H.E. Mr. Georgi Parvanov. The decisions taken in the course of the multiple meetings of the two presidents draw a particular program for action of the state structures and public organizations in Georgia and the Republic of Bulgaria.

Bilateral cooperation involves all spheres: the political, economic and cultural ties between our peoples are preconditioned by the centuries-long friendship and mutual respect.

We have to stress the positive dynamics in the development of all areas mentioned. The cooperation in the Euro-Atlantic integration issues, the introduction of democratic principles of government, the strengthening of civil society, economy, including energy, transport, trade, tourism, education and cultural exchange meet the requirements of the time, of the interests of our peoples and the region.

The regional cooperation between Georgia and Bulgaria in fields such as state security, safety in the energy and economy sector, is a model for the other countries of the region. Georgia’s main goal is the restoration of the state’s integrity and the support lent by the entire world community, including by the Republic of Bulgaria, is immensely important.

An initiative of the Bulgarian government is the cooperation of East European countries in the format of the New Group of Friends of Georgia, where Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic join hands with Bulgaria. Within the framework of the last meeting of the group in November 2006 in Sofia, a working visit was paid by the Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gela Bezhuashvili. He had meetings with Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev, Vice President Angel Marin, National Assembly Speaker Georgi Pirinski and Vice Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivailo Kalfin.

In the beginning of 2007 Georgia’s Minister of Agriculture Petre Tsiskarishvili visited Sofia and held a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Bulgaria Nihat Kabil. In April 2007 in Sofia was signed a new Agreement on cooperation between the heads of the border police services of the interior ministries of Georgia and the Republic of Bulgaria.

A special place in the development of friendly relations between our countries occupies the so-called people-to-people diplomacy. Tourism, trade connections, the creation of an attractive investment environment boost new contacts and partnerships between the citizens of the two countries.

What lies ahead?
The dynamically developing world, the processes of globalization, the contemporary threats practically make it impossible to give long-term prognoses.

But on the other hand, the accession to the European Union (Bulgaria and Romania) and NATO of the Black Sea coast, creates for all countries in the region, including ours, the unique opportunity for harmonious development, higher economic level, mutual spiritual enrichment and provision of security.

I firmly believe that the peoples of our states will not be satisfied with what they have achieved and will keep strengthening their relations in the name of their countries’ prosperity, as a firm basis to that effect is in place, founded on friendship and mutual respect.