We managed to maintain an important strategic balance in Bulgaria’s foreign relations
31 July 2014 News
In the past year, Bulgaria's foreign policy was stable and predictable and has achieved its goals. The program of the government included a set of priorities and we have consistently worked on them. We have managed to maintain an important strategic balance in our foreign relations, said the outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristian Vigenin at a press conference where he presented the highlights of the Foreign Ministry's activity in the past year.
Series of unexpected events, especially the crisis in Ukraine, dominated to a large extent our work, said Minister Vigenin, adding that this will remain a challenge to the next government. NATO’s role was key element in the crisis and we have rediscovered the importance of our 10-year membership in the Alliance, he said. Another important development that has significantly affected the MFA’s activity was the surge in the number of refugees to our country. We have made every effort to deal with this challenge, both with the help of our European partners, and through dialogue with Turkey, he said.
We have put concerted efforts to remedy the deficit in Bulgaria’s foreign policy and in the bilateral relations with the EU member states. For a short period of time, I have visited Britain, France, Germany, Italy and other EU member states, Vigenin said. The relations with the United States have also faced positive development and the active dialogue with the U.S. on the visa regime should continue. Despite the challenging international environment, we have managed to keep the channels of communication with the Russian Federation, he said. The Foreign Minister also mentioned the enhanced dynamics in the relations with China and Vietnam, emphasizing on the high and highest-level visits. This was part of the government’s efforts to expand contacts with countries with high economic growth, he added.
Bulgaria has fully participated in the debates in the various formats of the EU Council and in shaping the EU policies.We have improved the coordination within the Council on European Affairs , which is chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the efforts in that direction should continue, added Kristian Vigenin. He also mentioned the ongoing preparation for Bulgaria's EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2018. “The draft organization is made and one of the first tasks of the next government is to regulate the interdepartmental coordination,” he said.
Bulgaria played an active role regarding the Eastern Partnership, said Minister Vigenin, noting that we are the fourth member state to ratify the EU’s Association Agreements with Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova.We managed to restore and expand the position of Bulgaria in Southeast Europe and Black Sea region. We have also conducted a successful Chairmanship-in-Office of the BSEC in a complex situation by not allowing the crisis in Ukraine to affect the efficiency of the organization. Bulgaria was approved to take over the rotating Chairmanship-in-Office of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in mid-2015.
One of the achievements inthe past year was the significant improvement of the Bulgarian-Macedonian relations, which allows to finalize the work on the bilateral good-neighbourliness and cooperation agreement in the near future, said Kristian Vigenin. On my initiative, the Regional Cooperation Council was created, whose purpose is to coordinate the policies, priorities and projects of the ministries with the neighboring countries, he said.
Minister Vigenin identified as success of the Bulgarian diplomacy the re-election of Irina Bokova as Director-General of UNESCO, adding that this is a result of the efforts of three successive governments. It is important to keep this style of work, he said, expressing confidence in the serious chances of electing Ms. Bokova for UN Secretary General.
The increase of the work commitments of our diplomatic missions in the field of economy is also one of the successful endeavors, Minister Vigenin said. A special directorate was established at the MFA that has significantly contributed to the improvement of the coordination with the Ministry of Economy and Energy. In terms of energy diplomacy, I have visited the capitals of all countries on the route of the South Stream gas pipeline project. Each of these states insists on the project's implementation, as it is important for the energy security. Simultaneously, the Foreign Ministry was working on other opportunities for diversification of energy sources, such as construction of interconnectors, supplies from Qatar, Cyprus, Israel, and support for the initiative of Hungary to build a North-South corridor.
Another key priority is the protection of Bulgarian citizens' rights and interests abroad, he said, adding that special attention has been paid to the Bulgarian communities in Moldova and Ukraine. My visit to the two countries sent an important political signal that for Bulgaria the attitude towards them is important and it is part of the bilateral relations.
As regards the functioning of the MFA, Minister Vigenin underlined that there was strengthening of the professionalism and transparency in the decision-making process. For the first time the attestation to raise the rank of employees was conducted in completely transparent way. The rotation and the reverse rotation were performed in the same way, thus solving the problem with employees who, returning from a foreign term, had to wait months to be appointed at the Central Office. The subjective attitude in the appointment of senior officials was eliminated through introducing competitive selection. The proposals were made to the Minister by special Career Committee, composed entirely of professional diplomats.
We have no reason to believe that we have made significant mistakes. I am leaving the Ministry with a sense of duty done to the State, said in conclusion Kristian Vigenin.
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