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Ilko Shivachev
The regional foreign policy of Bulgaria
Born on 2 July 1955. In 1981 he graduated from the Academy of Political Sciences, specialty 'International Relations'. In 1981 he is nominated for Third Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department 'Balkan Countries'. In the period 1984 - 1992 he worked in the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Athens. 1995 - 2003 - he is the General Consul of the Republic of Bulgaria to Thessaloniki. Language proficiency - English,French, Greek and Russian language.
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, participants in the round table,
After the thorough and very interesting problems discussed and statements made, after the report by Prof. Prodanov, who presented to us an in-depth analysis, I would like to present some considerations on our regional foreign policy. I have this right in my capacity as a direct participant in its conduct till last year. I will not, of course, go into too many details, but I would like to draw your attention because I think this subject a very important one at present and it is in these conditions namely of intensified European integration and accession processes.
Upon the analysis of the regional foreign policy of Bulgaria under the conditions of the abovementioned processes we have to underline that it is conducted in a complex and a conflict international political and international economic situation. The Balkan region is again in a state of local confrontations, substantiated by unsettled economic, ethnic, religious and other problems. The problems in Kosovo, Western Macedonia, the unstable situation in Albania and Bosnia, the unsolved yet Cyprus problem create serious tension in the region. A permanent tension is available also in the relations between Albania and Macedonia, Turkey and Greece, Greece and Macedonia.
At that complex and contradictory situation, in order to have an efficient and a perspective regional foreign policy, it is necessary to specify the Bulgarian national interests clearly and precisely, stemming from a clear and a consensually defined Bulgarian national ideal. To our regret, I have in mind the competent institutions and ministries, for various reasons our country did not yet succeed in assisting the creation, the adoption with consensus of these most important preconditions for a lasting, long term foreign, incl. also regional foreign policy. Who could give an answer about the current Bulgarian national ideal in the beginning of the challenges of the 21st century, an answer to the question why, irrespective of the attempts, a national doctrine of the Republic of Bulgaria has not been adopted so far?
We do not have actually this necessary theoretically substantiated system of principles and standpoints of the historical aspirations, perspectives and aims of the Bulgarian nation, which should guide us in our way towards implementing the national ideal. And there has to be emphasized that all our neighbours have second national doctrines which are implemented consecutively irrespective of the internal political conjuncture and the ruling political forces for the moment.
Unfortunately, I have no time to discuss these doctrines but I have to also emphasize that both in the Greek and the Serbian, not speaking of the Turkish national doctrine, these major elements are presented very precisely and clearly. And these elements exist, they develop and enrich in a very long period of time. I would just point out only for the Greek doctrine that it is based on the so called 'megali' idea, emerged in the eve of the Balkan war, i.e. more than 95 years ago.
When we discuss the question of the regional foreign policy of Bulgaria, we have to take into consideration the major tasks included in the national strategy on our EU accession adopted two years ago. This national strategy reflects the basic criteria put forward for membership by the EU, and I will enumerate them without making an analysis. In general they are as follows:
First, this is the compulsory coordination of the foreign political activity of Bulgaria with the common policy of the EU in the sphere of the foreign relations and the security.
Second, Conformity of our military organization and the state of the Bulgarian army with that of the European states - members of the European Union.
Third, Implementation of the army reforms program and the accession to NATO. Our government pretends that this already have happened to a large extent.
Fourth, very important, because it creates certain potential for our foreign policy realization in the region, is the fact that Bulgaria was announced to be a stabilizing factor on the Balkans and in South East Europe, which represents actually also an important step to the EU political integration.
I think it is essential with the planning and the implementation of our regional foreign policy, together with the implementation of the above criteria, introduced by the EU, to succeed in combining for the moment the national strategic aims outlined as follows:
First, providing an economic independent exit to three seas. This can be achieved and passes through the construction in short terms of European corridors No 4, 8 and 9, which go through our country and create actually its strategic potential. Bulgaria - the centre of South East Europe, the cross-road, a road for the movement of commodities and people.
The second purpose able to be actually achieved is the provision of a road corridor to Moldova, The Ukraine and Russia. Something which is very important, but at the moment not in the focus of our ruling.
The third possibility for achieving and increasing the importance and the influence of our country both in the region and towards Central and Western Europe, is to develop according to our national potential and to participate in the development of the water way along the Danube River - European corridor No 7, by assisting, respectful to our potential, to remove the national obstacles in the direction to the estuary of the Danube River as well as vice versa towards Central and Western Europe along the Mine-Rein Canal.
The analysis of the above national aims leads to the conclusion that they are in a direct contradiction with the national interests of Serbia and Romania, and in a less degree - with the national interests of Greece and Turkey. From now onwards the immediate national task comes also - how in a situation of a forthcoming in a week, official accession to NATO and conducted intensive negotiations for closing the remaining chapters with the EU, to neutralize these contradictions to such a degree that their availability is to the advantage of our country. Aggravating circumstances for solving this national task are the unstable political situation in the region, the acting contradictions, being extreme among some of our neighbours and the regional economic crisis as a whole thus outlined, manifesting itself all the time, even according to some analyzers, it is of an increasing nature as with all our neighbouring countries, and in our country too.
An aggravating circumstance of an internal nature is the fact, that at the moment our diplomacy unfortunately does not have a short term even, I mean for the next 2-3 years, regional foreign policy program for the development of the bilateral relations with the countries of the Balkan region, as well as the eventual development on a multilateral basis of the relations with the countries within the Black Sea Economic Cooperation or upon an approach on our part for development of the relations towards groups of 2, 3 or 4 such states.
Such attempts are being undertaken, you know of the initiatives of the presidential institution. These meetings with the neighbouring states in a format of 3 - these are Bulgaria, Greece and Romania; Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania, the ambition to transfer to a format of 4, in this way having a practical possibility to play the role of a regulator of the relations between Greece and Turkey and overcoming these contradictions in some way in some degree, i.e. the format of 4, the initiator of which shall be our country - Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and Romania.
Inadmissible and absolutely negative is the practice from the last several years for us to elaborate separate foreign policy events without a vision, most of them of a catching up nature and one by one, which does assist in any way the achievement of neither the national aims, nor the increase of so important for us international prestige.
In order to have a perspective and a lasting regional policy under the conditions of European integration it is necessary in the shortest possible terms to create an middle-term, and when possible also a more long term foreign policy program, which taking into consideration the role and the position of our country in the processes of the Euro-Atlantic integration, gives an answer to the following important questions.
First, an analysis should me carried out, as well as grading of the contradictions with the individual Balkan states according to the significance and the potential and the possibilities for them to be overcome. It is very important to us to analyze and find out the weaknesses of our neighbours, the potential of the conflicts among them and to plan respectively concrete events for their use to our advantage.
A major disadvantage has also a process, which - we have to note - is very well and constructively treated by the foreign policy of our neighbours. This is to find appropriate allies from a global and a local point of view to solve concrete tasks defined by our national interests.
There are very important conditions which have to be observed and also preconditions for a long-term organized activity, but I will emphasize only one of these important conditions, that in order to achieve all this, which I have mentioned above, and in order to guarantee the implementation of the above program, we have to ensure the necessary political, material and human resources. Something which, unfortunately, does not promise to be put into practice within the present situation in our country.
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