THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING CONFIDENCE

THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING CONFIDENCE

Wed, 07/08/2015 - 12:54

French Ambassador Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes on ancient art, latterday nationalism and why history must not be used to justify current policies

Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes_0.jpg

A fan of the arts, Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes accomplished in a few months what various Communist and non-Communist functionaries, dating all the way back to Lyudmila Zhivkova in the late 1970s, had hoped for: bring a Bulgarian exhibition to the Louvre in Paris. Using his par excellence skills and contacts, M. de Cabanes was instrumental in putting together a large display of Thracian art at the Richelieu wing, through at the end of July 2015. Sitting in his comfortable embassy, a Sofia landmark on Oborishte Street, we could be talking for hours about painting, sculpture and music. But, instead, I choose to ask a few direct questions about the state Bulgaria finds itself in at the moment. What do Bulgarians lack?

Confidence. Bulgarians have no confidence in their politicians. Furthermore, they have no confidence that their children could have a future in Bulgaria.

Is it not pretty obvious why many Bulgarians have lost faith in their country?

Yes. But if too many Bulgarian chose to go, Bulgaria would cease to exist. If all young Bulgarians went away because they do not think they have a future in this country, only the sort of people Bulgarians protested against in 2013 will remain, and they will be the only ones in power.

Does the Bulgarian state do anything to bring back some confidence in citizens and dissuade them from emigrating?

I think yes, but this kind of policy, convincing large masses of people that they do have a future here, is difficult and slow. People have waited long enough, for 26 years since the collapse of Communism.

Is the new statue of Tsar Samuil contributing?

That there is debate about this statue is positive. I think what President Plevneliev said is sensible: Why not have a statue of a great Bulgarian king in a city that still has monuments to aggressors? Whether you like the statue or not is a matter of personal taste.

French Ambassador Xavier Lapeyre de CabanesCould a statue like that be erected in modern-day Paris?

We no longer do that because we did it 150 years ago.

Can history be used to justify present-day policies?

History is something you should know. History is a fact. You should neither be proud of, nor be held responsible for what happened many years ago. It is just a fact that people should know. We can't change it. I cannot be proud of or sorry for the history of France because as a person I have nothing to do with the French Revolution. But this is the history of my country: I’m kind of an heir of this history.

Do you not think that modern Bulgarians tend to spend too much time in their history?

History must never be used in any kind of political debate. If anyone does it means that they are trying to make their standpoints more valid on the basis of events that happened many years ago. This is very wrong and very dangerous. History cannot be used to prove that Crimea is Russian or Macedonia Bulgarian. It is important to know history and equally important never to use it in a political debate.

Still, does this happen in Bulgaria?

Not only in Bulgaria, but all over the world.

Do you have people in France who think France should have territorial claims on Belgium?

There might be a few people like that, yes.

French Ambassador Xavier Lapeyre de CabanesBut they are not in parliament.

No, they are not in parliament.

As a diplomat, do you talk with all the political parties represented in the Bulgarian parliament?

Not with Ataka, not with the Patriotic Front, – which means not with the VMRO, or Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation, nor the National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria.

Why?

Because I think that some of their positions are incompatible with a number of general European principles.

After a year and a half in Bulgaria, what is your evaluation of the quality of democracy in Bulgaria?

I think that the Bulgarians are a democratic nation. Perhaps it stems from history because in Bulgaria people never had the kind of feudalism that we had in France for centuries. The Bulgarians are generally peaceful, which is very important for democracy. Bulgarians favour equality, which is also important for the quality of democracy. I think that a quarter of a century after the downfall of Communism, Bulgarians value freedom.

The bottomline?

In principle, I am an optimist. I note the many positive changes that have come to Bulgaria during the past 26 years. Based on that, I hope that more positive changes are about to happen, although there are still big problems.

French Ambassador Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes

Issue 105

Commenting on www.vagabond.bg

Vagabond Media Ltd requires you to submit a valid email to comment on www.vagabond.bg to secure that you are not a bot or a spammer. Learn more on how the company manages your personal information on our Privacy Policy. By filling the comment form you declare that you will not use www.vagabond.bg for the purpose of violating the laws of the Republic of Bulgaria. When commenting on www.vagabond.bg please observe some simple rules. You must avoid sexually explicit language and racist, vulgar, religiously intolerant or obscene comments aiming to insult Vagabond Media Ltd, other companies, countries, nationalities, confessions or authors of postings and/or other comments. Do not post spam. Write in English. Unsolicited commercial messages, obscene postings and personal attacks will be removed without notice. The comments will be moderated and may take some time to appear on www.vagabond.bg.

0 comments

Add new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.

Restricted HTML

  • Allowed HTML tags: <a href hreflang> <em> <strong> <cite> <blockquote cite> <code> <ul type> <ol start type> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <h2 id> <h3 id> <h4 id> <h5 id> <h6 id>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.

Discover More

katya dimitrova interpartners
UNLEASHING THE POTENTIAL OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
Celebrating 30 years on a market is an achievement for any company in our fast-moving world. This is even truer in the quickly changing and highly competitive field of advertisement and PR.

dr bonka mutafchiyska
ALL ROADS I TAKE LEAD TO PLOVDIV
The interview with Dr Bonka Mutafchiyska, a leading dentist with almost 20 years of practice, was not an ordinary one. We wanted to know more about the personality of the founder of the outstanding Mutafchiyska Dent Clinic, in Plovdiv.

Dr Branimir Kirilov Medical Dent
DR BRANIMIR KIRILOV: MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE
The quality of dental professionals in Bulgaria is impressive, but even in this highly competitive field one name stands out.

m+s hydraulic vladimir spasov
VLADIMIR SPASOV: TURNING STEEL INTO MOTION
When talking about successful business stories in Bulgaria, M+S Hydraulic PLC is one of the best examples. Based in Kazanlak, in the Valley of Roses and Thracian Kings, it will soon celebrate 60 years on the market.

Petar Torneff, Director of Accenture Technology Center in Bulgaria
PETAR TORNEFF: EXPLORING THE METAVERSE
How will technology develop and how will it affect the way we live and do business? This is a tough question that has engaged the brightest minds of our time.

Vladimir Dokov EGT
VLADIMIR DOKOV: CHANGING THE GAME
Euro Games Technology (EGT) is an example of the concept that everything is possible when the right goals are set, and innovation goes together with strategic management and a winner’s mindset.