September 29^th, 2018 marks the centenary of what is known as The Uprising of Vladaya. In connection with the anniversary, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev delivered an address to the nation.

Let us recall that on 29 September 1918, Bulgaria was forced to sign a truce in Thessaloniki with the countries of the Entente and thus left the First World War. Bulgaria undertook to withdraw, disarm and demobilize its troops with the exception of three divisions and four cavalry regiments. The Entente received the right to keep in captivity a 100,000-strong Bulgarian army to the West of Skopje and to occupy the country partially.

“On 29 September 1918 the Bulgarian front line troops clashed with the pro-government units near Vladaya and Knyazhevo near Sofia.The former had fought for Bulgaria on the fronts of the First World War and rose with a demand for a republic based on justice. The pro-government units fought against them with the conviction that they were defending the Bulgarian state from a military mutiny. Both sides believed they had risked their lives for the sake of the motherland. The rebellion was flooded in blood…,” President Rumen Radev said in his address. “The great ideals were buried under dead-end disputes. Today too, they shape up Bulgaria’s political debate in which partisan, lobbyist and personal benefits cover up the horizon of the national interests,” the president pointed out. He went on to say that the only path to the success of this country was by vanquishing discord in both moral and intellectual terms. “Unity does not close down the political debate, it keeps watch to make sure that it takes place to serve national interests, with respect to different views and the freedom of speech, with a struggle for a rule of law and for justice which society can rely on… I believe that after years of division our society has become increasingly aware of the need for unity.  I am convinced that wisdom will prevail over acrimony,” the Bulgarian president said in his address.