[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9139]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    CELEBRATING BULGARIAN DEMOCRACY

  (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, 25 years ago today was one 
of the most meaningful of my life as I served as an election observer 
for the post-Communist parliamentary elections in the Republic of 
Bulgaria with the International Republican Institute, nominated by RNC 
Chairman Lee Atwater.
  It was a dream come true to visit talented and enthusiastic people at 
polling locations in the Hissar, Plovdiv region and see a restoration 
of democracy amidst the amazing antiquities of ancient Thracian, Greek, 
and Roman cultures. I was welcomed by Professor Stefan Stoyanov, who 
was elected to the National Assembly and later reinstituted the Rotary 
Club of Sofia.
  In Congress, I have been grateful to co-chair the Bulgarian Caucus; 
work with dynamic Ambassador Elena Poptodorova; and, this year, led a 
delegation to Sofia to meet with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who is 
courageously promoting reforms for the people of Bulgaria.
  It has been uplifting to meet with dedicated Bulgarian troops, along 
with my son, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, who now train with 
Americans at the Novo Selo training base.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops, and may the President by his 
actions never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.
  God bless Bulgaria.

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