Thursday, 7 October Republic of Bulgaria (TBC), to the Government of the United Mexican States and the people of Mexico as well as to all per-sons In this regard let me point out that our capital, Sofia, ranks among the top ten cities worldwide with high-speed involved in the preparation of this remarkable Internet connections. Now we are focusing ef-forts and resources on achieving high-speed connectiv-ity in the smaller towns, thus overcoming the existing event. We highly appreciate this exceptional hospital-ity extended to all of us and the perfect organization of this Conference. Our thanks also go to ITU Staff for their professionalism and warm attitude witnessed by all of us here. disparities. I am pleased to inform you that in Bulgaria more than half of all Internet users are connected at speeds above 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) and, in many cases at speeds above 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) . May I wish all of us a very successful Plenipotentiary Conference 2010. The Bulgarian Government aims at building up a mod-ern, Thank you for your attention. high-speed connected Bulgarian society enabled to tackle the challenges of our digital future. I’d like to express our Administration endorsement and support to the new role of the ITU as a leading international specialized Agency in the field of broadband communi-cations as defined by the ITU Council earlier this year. Mr. Chairman, By placing its candidature for a member of the ITU Council for Region “C” the Bulgarian Government has shown once again the high appreciation and signifi-cance of the ITU mission and activities. The re-election of the Republic of Bulgaria would be regarded by us as an honour and high responsibility at the same time. With our inputs and contributions submitted, we have demonstrated ability and will to share experience to overcome the challenges ahead of ITU in order to transform and streamline the Union to become more efficient and responsive to the dynamic requirements of the telecommunication and information technolo-gy sector and the needs of its members. I am confident that by working together we can achieve this goal. In conclusion, I would like to express our gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Juan Francisco Molinar Horcasitas 199