Peonies bridge friendship between China, Bulgaria

A park director and a landscape architect in Sofia shared stories about how peonies have helped strengthen the cultural connection between China and Bulgaria.

In the fall of 2024, as China and Bulgaria marked 75 anniversary of their diplomatic ties, Heze City, known as the 'peony capital' of China, transplanted 280 peony plants to Sofia's South Park, the largest urban green space in the capital of Bulgaria, sharing this iconic Chinese cultural treasure with the Bulgarian public.

The park's Commemorative Peony Garden, created to celebrate 75 years of Sino-Bulgarian friendship, is now the new home to these Chinese flowers.

In a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) at the garden, park director Milena Vaseva reflected how the idea for the garden was proposed and brought to life.

"The garden with Chinese peonies became possible thanks to the wonderful initiative of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and China, as well as thanks to the generous donation from Heze City, which provided 280 Chinese peonies specifically for our South Park," said Vaseva.

She also praised her Chinese colleagues who visited Sofia last year and collaborated with local staff to create the shared peony garden.

"What impressed me most in working with my colleagues from Heze was their professionalism and their excellent organization skills, their kindness, warm attitude, and generosity," said Vaseva.

For Vaseva, peonies serve as a cultural ambassador, symbolizing the blooming friendship between the two countries.

"The language of nature and beauty is universal. Creating a garden requires great care and dedication. So, we hope that through caring for this shared garden, it will become one of many reasons for continuing our fruitful cooperation. And, of course, for creating lasting and beautiful friendships between Heze and Sofia, as well as between Bulgaria and China, anyone who loves nature, beauty, and flowers is welcome here in May. We expect our park to be adorned with fragrant, beautiful peonies from China," she added.

Landscape architect Stavri Fotev also values the cultural ties fostered through flowers with the Chinese counterparts, and expressed hope that such connections will continue to grow in the future.

"We further enrich this area. Here, we have already planted herbaceous peony varieties, which are well-known in Bulgaria and have been used since ancient times. With the planting of the peony tree, which has also been used since ancient times in China, we are creating a connection between the Bulgarian peony on one side and the Chinese tree peony on the other side," he said.

"Thus, a continuous connection was established, which was very productive and beneficial between us and the Chinese specialists, and I believe that this fruitful cooperation will continue in the future," Fotev added.

Peonies bridge friendship between China, Bulgaria

As the diplomatic engagement between the United States and Iran continues despite a faltering ceasefire, a former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said that Iran is prepared to use military power to break the U.S. maritime blockade should the negotiations collapse or run on too long.

Mohsen Rezaee, who also currently serves as a member of the Iranian Expediency Discernment Council, struck a confident tone about Iran's current trajectory in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Tehran on Wednesday.

He said the country has withstood over two decades of crippling sanctions and continued to move forward.

"We have been under sanctions for more than 20 years. The number of sanctions likely exceeds 2,000, targeting individuals, enterprises, corporations, ships, insurance companies, and even foreign countries that interacted with us. However, we have managed to find solutions to neutralize these sanctions, and we will continue to do so moving forward," he said.

He said Iran aims to ease the sanctions burden through talks with the U.S., although at the same time, he said, Iran is ready to shift to a military response if the path to a peaceful resolution closes.

"Furthermore, we will compel the U.S. to lift these sanctions. We will force the U.S. to end the maritime blockade -- either through negotiations or, should they resist, through direct action and we will attack U.S. warships. Therefore, despite all the pressures, the future of our economy is bright and promising, while the future of the US economy is bleak," he said.

While any new war against Iran would be a dead end, the best way out for the U.S. is to continue talks, according to the senior official.

"We have prepared ourselves so that if the maritime blockade continues beyond a certain timeframe, we will launch an attack and break the blockade. The Americans have no choice but to negotiate. Continuing this war is a journey into a very dark tunnel for the United States. The more America chooses to fight, the deeper it enters a tunnel with no end. Yet for us, the path is perfectly clear. America is moving toward us in the dark, while we are monitoring their every move," he said.

Former IRGC chief says Iran ready to break U.S. naval blockade by force if talks fail