When celebrated, this May 9, Europe Daythe ambassadors of the European Union (EU) in Bolivia sent a message of peace and support to Ukraine, which was published this Sunday.
“Today we celebrate Europe Day. It symbolizes for us peace, peace and again peace. After millions of deaths in two terrible wars”, says in the publication the representative of the European Union in Bolivia, Michael Dóczy, who highlights the date, because “It also symbolizes the unity of 27 States that brought us prosperity and the Rule of Law, not the State of Power. Today Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine reminds us that war is not a thing of the past. We do not take peace for granted, on the contrary, we appreciate it and today we celebrate it together with Bolivians as a sign of cooperation and friendship”, affirms the Austrian diplomat.
For her part, Helene Roos, French ambassador to Bolivia, recalled that “on May 9, 1950, Robert Schuman made a declaration considered foundational to European construction in the Clock Room in Paris. ‘Europe will not be built all at once or in a global construction, it will be built by concrete achievements’, ccreating a de facto solidarity. This visionary declaration is what we celebrate every May 9″, explains Roos, who also stresses that this agreement “embodies Franco-German reconciliation, the spirit of solidarity, respect for fundamental rights, democracy and especially peace. ANDs, also within this spirit of solidarity that we wish to develop our exchanges with Bolivia”, concludes the French ambassador.
Meanwhile, the Italian ambassador, Francesco Tafuri, also reviewed history and commented that the European Community was created in 1957 in the Treaty of Rome and in 1992 in Maastricht the European Union is born. “This increasingly closer integration in a process that continues, has been based on shared values of peace, social justice, sustainable development and mutual cooperation,” says the Italian representative in Bolivia, who added that “In these battles against poverty, hunger, war and injustice, the EU wants to be together with its friendly and partner countries like our beloved Bolivia. Let us celebrate together, then, the day of the European Union and the Euro-Bolivian cooperation”.
While the German ambassador, Stefan Duppel, emphasizes that “May 9 marks the beginning of the peaceful unification of Europe, which played a decisive role in making war between the nations of Europe unthinkable. The date reminds us how the unity of Europe went from being the dream of a few to the hope of many; today a reality for all of us. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia shows us these days how important these steps were. Towards a true union between Europeans and how important it is to decisively continue on this path”, indicates Duppel.
“For Spain, joining the EU was a decision to generate coexistence based on principles of shared values,” he explains. Javier Gassó, ambassador of that country in Bolivia “Shared with Europeans and also with Bolivians”, he says later and highlights that “values such as the defense of multilateralism of an international order based on rules, of the independence of States, the sovereignty of peoples to freely, democratically and peacefully decide their own future. These values are today threatened by wars of aggression, violations of human rights, international humanitarian lawwhich we all: Spaniards, Europeans and Bolivians must condemn without nuances and without excuses”.
Finally, Nicolás Weeks, Swedish ambassador, maintains that “Today the 27 countries of the EU celebrate our unity reinforced by our diversity with a goal of joint prosperity in peace. With equality for all. Let’s protect democracy and human rights for which we have fought so hard,” asks Weeks.