I came to the celebrations in Pliska with great excitement because the anniversary of the Conversion is a serious occasion for reflection, as the Bulgarian ruler did not simply make a decision that would affect him and his heirs, but changed the course of history for Bulgaria as a state. This was stated by the President of the National Assembly, Natalia Kiselova, before the solemn prayer service in the Great Basilica in Pliska on the occasion of the 1160th anniversary of the Conversion of the Bulgarian people and the 1170th anniversary of the creation of the Bulgarian alphabet. The celebration of the two anniversaries was organized by the Metropolis of Varna and Veliki Preslav.

The initiative comes from the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, and we must support it because it focuses not only on Orthodoxy but also on the civilizational choice for Bulgaria to choose a path that is at the heart of the unity of the three ethnic groups that made up the population of the first Bulgarian state, commented the President of the National Assembly.

The solemn prayer service in the Great Basilica in Pliska was conducted by the Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniel, in concelebration with metropolitans from the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. It was attended by Vice President Iliana Yotova, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov, Minister of Education Krasimir Valchev, regional governors, Members of Parliament, mayors, and municipal councilors.

Natalia Kiselova also watched the festive spiritual concert in the courtyard of the basilica. In response to a question from a student Nikol Kisyova who is a reporter for Radio Zoran's "PravoSlavcheta" programme, the President  of Parliament wished the young listeners to be studious and curious, to know and seek lessons in our history.

Earlier, the President  of the National Assembly, Natalia Kiselova, spoke with the mayor of Shumen, Hristo Hristov. At the meeting, it was noted that the city is developing rapidly in economic terms and the aim is to build on what has been achieved. Our efforts are focused on creating conditions for the development of young people, who have no problem finding work here, the mayor of Shumen emphasized, adding that the completion of the Hemus motorway is important for the city, as is the improvement of the road infrastructure in Northern Bulgaria, including the road links between Northern and Southern Bulgaria.