FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Bulgaria became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on March 29, 2004, and a member of the European Union on January 1, 2007. Bulgaria is a member of the United Nations and in 2002-2003 served a 2-year term as a nonpermanent member on the UN Security Council. Bulgaria served as Chair-In-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2004.
Bulgaria joined the World Trade Organization in 1996. In July 1998, Bulgaria became a full member of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), which called for the reduction of tariffs by 2002 on most industrial and agricultural goods traded between CEFTA countries. Bulgaria has initialed free trade agreements with Turkey, Macedonia, Croatia, Lithuania, Estonia, Israel, Albania, and Latvia.
Bulgaria's relationship with its neighbors has generally been good. Bulgaria has proven to be a constructive force in the region and has played an important role in promoting regional security. Pursuing its initiative as a partner in the South-East European regional cooperation, Bulgaria has taken over the chairmanship-in-office of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) for the period May 2007-May 2008.
U.S.-BULGARIAN
RELATIONS
The year 2003 marked the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Bulgaria. U.S.-Bulgarian relations were severed in 1950 but were restored a decade later. Bilateral relations between the two nations improved dramatically after the fall of communism. The United States moved quickly to encourage development of multi-party democracy and a market economy. The U.S. signed a Bilateral Investment Treaty in 1994 and gave Bulgaria most-favored-nation trade status in October 1996.
In 1989, the U.S. Congress passed the Support for East European Democracies Act (SEED), authorizing financial support to facilitate development of democratic institutions, political pluralism, and free market economies in the Balkan region. Since 1990, Bulgaria has received over $600 million in SEED assistance. In 2007, after its EU accession, Bulgaria graduated from the SEED program.
In May 2005 the United States and the Republic of Bulgaria signed a defense cooperation agreement, which gives the United States military access to and shared use of several Bulgarian military facilities. The United States military intends to use this access to facilitate joint training with the Bulgarian and Romanian militaries. In February 2007, Bulgaria and the United States signed a treaty on avoidance of double taxation that is expected to further promote U.S. investment in Bulgaria. In June 2008, Bulgaria and the United States signed a weapons of mass destruction agreement and a Second Line of Defense agreement, both of which facilitate greater cooperation in preventing the proliferation of weapons and trafficking of illicit material.
American citizens traveling on a U.S. passport for business or tourism purposes can enter and stay in Bulgaria for up to 90 days in a 6-month period without requiring issuance of a visa.
Bulgaria hosts the only fully American university in the region, the American University of Bulgaria in Blagoevgrad, established in 1991, drawing students from throughout southeast Europe and beyond. As of 2007, the American University of Bulgaria had over 1,000 students.
In June 2007, President Bush visited Sofia following the first visit of a U.S.
President, Bill Clinton, in 1999.
DEFENSE
Bulgaria became a member of NATO on March 29, 2004 after depositing its instruments of treaty ratification. Bulgaria's military is currently undergoing an ambitious restructuring program aimed to bring the army up to NATO standards and modernize equipment. In 2007, constitutional amendments annulled military conscription, thus allowing the Bulgarian army‘s transformation to an all-volunteer force.
Bulgaria has been an active participant in military operations outside its borders. It currently has company-sized units working with coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq and has maintained small contingents of troops deployed with international forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. It deployed a frigate to Lebanon with UNIFIL in late 2006 and has several military observers serving in support of United Nations missions in Ethiopia, Liberia, and Kosovo. Bulgaria has also expressed its intent to send military observers to Chad in support of the European Union mission.
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Nancy E. McEldowney (arrival August 2008)
Deputy Chief of Mission--Alexander Karaqiannis
Consular Officer--Daniel Perrone
Head of Political/Economic Section--James Bigus
Head of Public Affairs Section--Katherine Ingmanson
Senior Commercial Officer--Scott Pozil
The U.S. Embassy is located at 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia; tel: [359] (2) 937-5100; facsimile: [359] (2) 9375-320.
