Independence is not given. It is not just a date on the calendar. It must be defended every day with the decisions we make, the battles we wage, and our ideas about the future. This was stated by presidential candidate Andrey Gyurov from Veliko Tarnovo, where he took part in an event dedicated to the Independence of Bulgaria, news.bg reports.
In his words, independence begins with the free person. He explained that this is a person who believes that the law applies to everyone. Gyurov pointed out that Bulgaria has traveled the difficult path from authoritarianism to democracy. According to him, the greatest achievement of this is the freedom to choose. He gave an example of the overthrow of the government of Rosen Zhelyazkov after protests at the end of 2025 and the coming to power of "Progressive Bulgaria", after holding fair elections.
Gyurov emphasized that the history of independence teaches us that decisions should not be made for us by external forces, nor by a handful of influential people, nor by individuals concentrating power around themselves. In his words, major decisions should be made after a broad debate, openly and transparently.
According to him, we should not turn our backs on the world and live in isolation. He stated that we have never been as connected as we are today. No country can be self-sufficient, believes Gyurov.
In his words, a strong Europe can help us maintain our security. He emphasized that Europe is not a panacea and cannot be an excuse. Gyurov noted that it will not fix our streets or solve our problems in education, because that is our task.
He pointed out that for almost 5 years now, near us, a war has been going on that was not provoked by Europe. According to him, the threats come not only from tanks, but also from cyberattacks, disinformation, and control over critical infrastructure.
The Bulgarian people yearn for their economic progress. Nothing should hinder Bulgarians and hinder their success, Gyurov also said.