Maxim Behar: Havel Was among Those Who Changed Europe

Former Czech President Vaclav Havel (left) with Maxim Behar (right), then Managing editor of Standart Daily, in Havel's first ever interview for a Bulgarian media back in 1994. Photo by Mirislav Zajic

Vaclav Havel was amoung those who created the ideology of transforming Europe into today's modern, tolerant and intellectual place, former Bulgarian journalist and leading public relations expert Maxim Behar told Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency).

Former Czech President Vaclav Havel, the philosopher of the "velvet" change from a centralized economy and communist political dictatorship into a democratic system and real market economy, passed away on Sunday at the age of 75 in his country villa in the Czech city of Hradecek, not far away from the capital Prague.

Behar was the first ever Bulgarian journalist to meet with Vaclav Havel for a long interview in the Czech President's summer residence, near Hradcani Castle in June 1994 in his capacity of Managing Editor of the Bulgarian Standart Daily.

"Havel was a personality in the real sense of the word. There was a rare, very rare possibility in Eastern Europeto meet such an educated and noble politician at that time. He had not only the charisma to talk and ability to analyze, but also was a person capable of predicting and seeing the world years ahead in the future", Behar remarked.

He recalled his long meeting with the deep analysis of the then Czech President Vaclav Havel of the hot events on the Balkans and the comparisons Havel made between the different countries.

"Havel told me during this very long and relaxing Friday afternoon conversation that there are two important things for a modern politician: to be aesthetic and to know how to construct, not to destroy. Both of them are missing nowadays in the views of many of the modern politicians, unfortunately", Behar added.

Full text of late Czech President Havel's first ever interview for a Bulgarian media will be reprinted by Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) tomorrow.

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