Most - the good feeling is the feeling of empathy, which maybe in our society is missing sometimes.
This was stated by Simeon of Saxe-Coburg-Goth during a discussion in the "Vrana" palace, dedicated to the topic of presenting the contribution of forcibly displaced persons and advocacy for the inclusion of refugees in Bulgaria, BTA reported.
I am a long-term forced refugee, so I have a special empathy for this topic. That's why I decided to attend today. I thank everyone who responded and enriched us with their knowledge, as well as contributing to dealing with certain prejudices and prejudices, he pointed out.
Society should engage with a large part of the topics. Sometimes there is a personal attitude to the “foreign”, to the “external”. I have seen it, for example, when I was somewhere at school abroad, when we were looked at with suspicion. Nowadays, we can overcome this and remove this curtain, Simeon of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha thinks.
We need 200-300 thousand foreigners to work here. No one takes the other's bread, but it is a matter of inevitable modern laws, he believes.
Organizers of the forum, which takes place in the "Vrana" royal palace, are "PanEurope Bulgaria", the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Bulgaria and the Liberal Institute for Political Analysis (LIPA).
According to the organizers, after the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022, more than 193,000 people received temporary protection in Bulgaria. As an external border of the European Union (EU), Bulgaria plays a crucial role in refugee protection and hosts displaced persons not only from Ukraine, but also from countries such as Syria and Afghanistan. Nevertheless, Bulgaria remains one of the few countries in the EU without a national integration policy. This event aims to highlight the importance of inclusive policies that enable refugees to fully exercise their rights and actively contribute to their host communities. True integration takes place within the community, fostering mutual development and resilience that enriches both the refugees and the host society, organizers said.
The forum included discussions on refugee stories for their host communities, with participants sharing personal stories of achievement, resilience and positive impact on community development. Among the participants were Seda Kuzudzu, representative of the High Commissioner for Refugees in Bulgaria, Petko Nikolov, Acting Minister of Economy and Industry, Deputy Ministers of Education and Labor and Social Policy, experts, directors, writers, business representatives.