25/03/2024 National Assembly Vice President Rositsa Kirova participates in the 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva

25/03/2024

National Assembly Vice President Rositsa Kirova participated in the 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva, which was held from 23 to 27 March this year. The delegation also included MPs Vladislav Panev, Denitsa Simeonova and Konstantina Petrova. The Assembly brought together parliamentarians from 160 countries from around the world to discuss the topic of "Parliamentary Diplomacy - Building Bridges for Peace and Understanding". The Inter-Parliamentary Union is one of the oldest international organizations founded in 1889 that promotes peace and international arbitration.

In her speech, Rositsa Kirova stressed that as a female parliamentarian, she would not hide her concern about the deeply polarizing world in which we live, as well as the suffering of civilians, women and children in conflict zones and ongoing wars.

The head of the Bulgarian delegation said that peace and security, as well as the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, should be the main priorities of parliamentarians and any attempt to unilaterally or selectively implement the principles of the UN Charter should meet the resolute resistance of parliaments around the world.

Members of national parliaments have a huge responsibility, as they are empowered to make decisions and take care of those who elected them, and even more so for those who do not have the power to defend their rights, ideas and concerns, she added. Parliamentarians have the responsibility to achieve understanding and good-neighbourliness, to express sympathy for war-affected regions, care for vulnerable social groups and a peaceful future for children, Rositsa Kirova said.

"Democracy, freedom and peace are not a gift. In order to have them, we should uphold the values that make up their fabric every day," Rositsa Kirova said and addressed her colleagues with the words: "So let's talk, discuss and even argue until we find the solutions that unite us. Let's do it here. Not on the battlefield."

In conclusion, she stated that representatives of parliaments around the world have no right to fail, because their failure will continue the suffering of victims in conflict zones. Their duty and privilege, and above all their responsibility, is to participate in the search for solutions and the prevention and, where necessary, the cessation of existing conflicts.