[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3193]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                BULGARIA

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, I welcomed to 
Capitol Hill Ambassador Elena Poptodorova and Foreign Minister Solomon 
Passy of the Republic of Bulgaria. Ms. Poptodorova and Mr. Passy have 
been dynamic leaders to promote the establishment of democracy in 
Bulgaria.
  My appreciation of the people of Bulgaria began in June, 1990, when I 
served as an election observer for the International Republican 
Institute. I saw firsthand the end of Communist totalitarianism and the 
birth of democracy.
  Over the last decade, democracy has flourished in Bulgaria, and its 
economy grew 5 percent last year. In the war on terrorism, Bulgaria has 
been an enthusiastic ally of NATO and the United States. The people of 
Bulgaria have warmly reestablished friendships with the people of 
America.
  With its strategic location in southeastern Europe, with its talented 
people, and with its enthusiasm for democracy, I support Bulgaria's 
admission into NATO as soon as possible. I congratulate Ambassador 
Elena Poptodorova and Foreign Minister Solomon Passy for their efforts 
for coordinated defense in Europe.

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