Club Discussion “The Kind of Bulgaria That Has Failed to Occur”
February 20th, 2014, Thursday
On 20 February 2014, in Serdika Hall of Grand Hotel Sofia, the Reform Union Club held a club discussion and dinner for its members and friends dedicated to the transition period of the past 24 years, which focused on the questions what should have happened and what actually happened, the major mistakes made and the lessons learned from them, the patriotism and the potential of the Bulgarian nation.
The special guests of the discussion were Boyko Vassilev, host of Bulgarian TV show “Panorama”, and Mr. Rumen Danov, former MP in the Grand National Assembly and national security adviser to President Zhelyu Zhelev. Boyko Vassilev presented his thoughts on the subject “Patriots and Europeans in Bulgaria”, provoking those present to ask themselves which is really the direction in Bulgaria’s development which would suit best the country’s national interests. His arguments served as a bridge toward the second part of the discussion devoted to the presentation of Mr. Rumen Danov’s latest book entitled “The Bulgarian Liberations”. The author shared his interpretation of the transition period in Bulgaria by looking for parallels with previous transitions and examining it in the light of the events from 1878, 1944 and 1989 – three key “liberations” in the history of the country. In his book, Mr. Danov summarises in a singularly authentic manner – with close attention to detail and from the standpoint of a witness and direct participant in these political processes – his observations of Bulgarian political life gathered for many years, from before 10 November up to the present day.
Right before the end of the discussion, each of the participants received a copy of the book personally signed by the author.