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United States of America (USA)

Diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and the United States were established in 1903. Bulgaria's independence, declared on September 22, 1908, was recognised by the United States on May 3, 1909. Diplomatic relations went through various stages and were interrupted between 1941 and 1947, as well as between 1950 and 1959.

After 1989, the intensity of bilateral contacts increased considerably. Preconditions were created for beneficial cooperation in all areas of mutual interest. The United States offered consistent support for our country's accession to NATO and the European Union.

Today, Bulgaria and the United States are allies and strategic partners, united by common values and shared interests. Political dialogue is constant and dynamic and takes place at all levels. On November 25, 2019, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov met with the President of the United States Donald Trump in the White House in Washington. The Joint Statement from the meeting reaffirmed the strong friendship and alliance between Bulgaria and the U.S. The two sides also agreed on a Strategic Partnership Framework, affirming the need to develop and solidify the cultural, economic, institutional, and military ties that bind them together in order to enhance their mutual security, prosperity, and opportunity. 

On January 8, 2020, in Sofia the Governments of the U.S. and Bulgaria launched a high-level bilateral Strategic Dialogue, a forum for consultation and cooperation on global, regional, and bilateral issues of mutual interest for both countries. By its comprehensive design, the Bulgaria-U.S. Strategic Dialogue represents an entirely new chapter in the two countries’ relations, marked by a higher level of cooperation. As a result, over the past years Bulgaria and the U.S. have signed a number of important documents in key areas, including defence cooperation, 5G security, civil nuclear cooperation and science and technology.

The bilateral agenda covers a broad range of issues in priority areas for our country, including security and defence, trade and investment, energy security, the rule of law, countering international terrorism, science and education, culture, and people-to-people contacts. A number of global and regional topics form a regular part of our bilateral dialogue and discussions within NATO and EU-U.S. formats: the expansion of Transatlantic cooperation; the development of the situation in Ukraine; the Euro-Atlantic perspective of the Western Balkans; processes in the Middle East and North Africa, including Syria, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan; etc.

The inclusion of Bulgaria into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and the signing of a Social Security Agreement remain the main priorities of Bulgarian diplomacy and are consistently brought to attention in discussions on all levels.

According to unofficial estimates, about 300,000 Bulgarians live and work in the USA. There are well-organised Bulgarian communities in Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Pittsburgh, Miami, San Francisco and New York. The largest of these are situated in and around the metropolitan areas of Chicago and Los Angeles.

Bulgaria has established an Embassy in Washington and three Consulates General in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago respectively. In addition, in recent years our country has built a network of Honorary Consul in Northern and Southern California, Nevada, South Carolina, Massachusetts, Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, Florida and the Silicon Valley.

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