On the 4^th of December the Embassy of the State of Palestine in the Republic of Bulgaria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria and the United Nations organized

a solemn evening and a concert on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People – 29^th of November. In the Lumiere cinema at the National Palace of Culture, officials, ambassadors, diplomats, journalists, Palestinians living in Bulgaria, friends came to the event.

The solemn speeches were delivered by H. E. Dr. Ahmed Al Madbuh, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Palestine to the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Nikola Nikolov, Director of the Middle East and Africa Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mrs. Jane Muita, Unicef's Representative for Bulgaria. They addressed aspects of the Palestinian issue in historical and contemporary terms, the situation of the Palestinian people today, the millions of refugees around the world, the bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Palestine. The official part ended with a poetic work, read by our famous Bulgarian interpreter Ms. Maya Tzenova.

Following the speeches, the audience enjoyed the performances of the Palestine Folklore Ensemble "Alkaumia". The songs and dances from the Palestinian side were so contagious and emotional that they made many from the audience join the final choro.

Photos: Gulmira Bakirova