Foreign relations of Bulgaria

The Republic of Bulgaria is a country in Southeast Europe, and a member of both NATO (since 2004) and the European Union (since 2007).^[1] It maintains diplomatic relations with 183 countries.^[2]

Bulgaria has generally good foreign relations with its neighbors and has proved to be a constructive force in the region^{[citation needed]} under socialist and democratic governments alike. Promoting regional stability, Bulgaria hosted a Southeast European Foreign Ministers meeting in July 1996, and an OSCE conference on Black Sea cooperation in November 1995. Bulgaria also participated in the 1996 South Balkan Defense Ministerial in Albania and it is active in the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative. Since the group's inception in 2015 Bulgaria has been a part of the B9 format, a subset of Eastern European NATO countries.

Bulgaria's main allies are Greece and Romania, and it maintains good relations with Serbia and the rest of the Balkans. The Republic of North Macedonia plays an important role in Bulgarian foreign and domestic policy due to historical, ethnic and cultural ties.^{[citation needed]}

History

 

Flags of NATO, Bulgaria, European Union at the Military club of Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

After the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989, Bulgaria sought economic cooperative arrangements with Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain, as well as military cooperation with Romania, Greece, and Turkey. A start was made on easing tensions with its historical adversary Serbia.^[3]

Due to close historical, cultural, and economic ties, Bulgaria sought a mutually beneficial relationship with Russia, on which it largely depends for energy supplies.^{[citation needed]}

Bulgaria's EU Association Agreement came into effect in 1994, and Bulgaria formally applied for full EU membership in December 1995. During the 1999 EU summit in Helsinki, the country was invited to start membership talks with the Union. On January 1, 2007, Bulgaria officially became a member of the European Union. In 1996, Bulgaria acceded to the Wassenaar Arrangement controlling exports of weapons and sensitive technology to countries of concern and also was admitted to the World Trade Organization. Bulgaria is a member of the Zangger Committee and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. After a period of equivocation under a socialist government, in March 1997 a UDF-led caretaker cabinet applied for full NATO membership, which became a reality in April 2004.

Bulgaria and the United States signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement in 2006 providing for military bases and training camps of the U.S. Army in Bulgaria, as part of the Pentagon's restructuring plan.^{[citation needed]}

The HIV trial in Libya resulted in the release of Bulgarian nurses imprisoned by Muammar Gaddafi's government in Libya. French President Nicolas Sarkozy secured the release in exchange for several business deals.^[4][5]

In June 2010, media reports claimed that Bulgaria considers closing a total of 30 of its diplomatic missions abroad. Currently, Bulgaria has 83 embassies, 6 permanent representations, 20 consular offices, and 2 diplomatic bureaus. The proposed closures were backed by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who described some of Bulgaria's embassies as useless.^[6] In November 2010, Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov formally announced his team proposes to close seven embassies as part of a plan for restructuring and austerity measures.

In March 2012 the Borisov administration decided to discontinue its plans to build with the help of Rosatom and Atomstroyexport the Belene nuclear station near the River Danube. At the time, Bulgaria depended on Russia for 89% of its petrol, 100% of natural gas and all of the nuclear fuel needed for its twin-reactor Kozloduy nuclear station.^[7] In the sequential lawsuit, the International Court of Arbitration at the International Chamber of Commerce in Geneva ruled against Bulgaria.^[8]

2014-2021

In August 2014 Bulgaria suspended its 930 km portion of the South Stream natural gas pipeline project with Gazprom until the project conforms to European Union law. In default of this project, Naftogaz and Ukraine stood to benefit.^[9] Gas was to be pumped to the Black Sea port of Varna before it travelled overland to the Serbian border and northeast from there to Hungary, Slovenia and Austria.^[10]

A Bulgarian weapons dealer named Emilian Gebrev was poisoned (along with his son and an employee^[11]) in Sofia in spring 2015 using a substance believed to be the nerve agent Novichok,^[12] and in 2020 three Russian nationals were charged in absentia. One of the three went by the name Sergei Fedotov,^[13] which is the alias of Denis Sergeev (GRU officer).

The Bucharest Nine (or B9 format) is an organization founded on 4 November 2015 in Bucharest, Romania, at the initiative of the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis and the President of Poland Andrzej Duda during a bilateral meeting between them.^[14] Its members are Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Its apparition was mainly a result of a perceived aggressive attitude from Russia following the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and its posterior intervention in eastern Ukraine both in 2014. All members of the B9 were either part of the former Soviet Union (USSR) or the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact.^[2][15]

Rampant corruption has led as recently as June 2019 to repeated rejection of Bulgaria's attempts to join the Schengen Area.^[16]

After the Prespa Agreement between Macedonia and Greece went into force in 2018, Bulgaria broke the Friendship Agreement in which it would assist Macedonia with its EU integration, and instead vetoed the start of Macedonia's EU accession talks. Bulgaria now places demands, which some Macedonian observers label "outrageous", on Macedonia in which Macedonians must ‘admit’ their grandparents were Bulgarians and their language is in fact Bulgarian if they wish to continue their path into the EU.^[17]

Bulgaria manufactures many types of Soviet-era ammunition, anti-tank missiles, and light arms, and has extensive trade ties with other recovering Soviet countries for this reason.^[18]

The TurkStream natural gas pipeline project seemed to excite quite a few journalists.^[19][20] The project's European landfall is Bulgaria.^[20] TurkStream started shipping gas to Bulgaria, Greece and North Macedonia on 1 January 2020,^[21] after the personal intervention of Vladimir Putin.^[22] One journalist ran his article under the headline "How Bulgaria gave Gazprom the keys to the Balkans".^[23]

In 2020, five Russian diplomats and the Russian military attaché were expelled on grounds that they were engaging in espionage.^[24] Together with the two expelled on account of the Iliev scandal, eight Russian diplomats were expelled over 18 months to April 2021.^[25]

2022-date

Prime Minister Kiril Petkov has introduced a political taboo on the use of Russian narratives, including the "special operation" label favoured by Vladimir Putin. Those who think otherwise so have to bear heavy political responsibility: the Bulgarian Minister of Defense, Stefan Yanev, was the first to be punished. He allowed himself to declare, following Putin, that it is not "war" in Ukraine but a "military operation". Petkov dismissed the minister on March 1, a scant week after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[26]

Petkov recalled his ambassador to Russia, after Russian ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova conducted herself abysmally in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[26]

On 7 May 2022 the head of Bulgargaz, Ivan Topchiisky, announced that Bulgaria will be able to overcome its dependence on the Russian supplier Gazprom by the end of 2022. The demands of Gazprom to make payments for gas in rubles added fuel to the fire, and Sofia refused. Thus, Bulgaria turned out to be one of the two EU countries to which Russia cut off gas supplies, and this necessitated the urgent co-operation of EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen.^[26]

In early 2022, Petkov was sympathetic to Volodymyr Zelensky's repeated requests for military aid during his country's battle against the Russians but he faced the refusal of his coalition partner the Bulgarian Socialist Party (which is the successor to the Soviet-era Bulgarian Communist Party^[27]) and their leader Korneliya Ninova.^[18] On 4 May, Parliament approved the continuation of repairs to damaged Ukrainian military equipment,^[28] and will continue to support Ukraine's membership in the EU, as well as to the Ukrainian refugees from the war,^[26] who numbered more than 56,000 as of 7 June.^[29] Petkov noted Bulgaria's espousal of all sanctions against Russia, and would allow the use of the Port of Varna to transship goods that had been stifled by the Russian blockade of Odesa.^[30]

Bulgarias wish to see an end of Russian gas in the EU contributed to a decision to apply a high transit tax on gas being pumped through the country to Hungary and Serbia in October 2023, which caused an upset even though the tax would probably be paid by Gazprom, not Hungary or Serbia.^[31] In December, despite the European Commission agreeing that the law does not breach EU regulations, Bulgaria agreed to suspended the charge to avoid any issues during Bulgaria's pending Schengen Area application.^[32]

Bulgaria-NATO relations

Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004,^[33] three years before it acceded to the European Union.^[24]

In June 2016 Borisov and Plevneliev vetoed Romania's idea of forming a NATO flotilla in the Black Sea,^[26] one day after a stern warning from Russia.^[34] NATO partners Romania and Turkey had favoured the idea,^[34] along with Ukraine, which wanted to join any such initiative.^[8] The refusal came on the day of a visit of President Klaus Iohannis of Romania.^[8]

In 2018, Bulgaria ordered eight F-16 machines, to replace its aging fleet of Mig 29s. Together with service and training, they will cost $1.2 billion.^[35] The fleet of Mig 29s are serviced by their Russian manufacturer.^[25]

In December 2020 German manufacturer Lurssen was contracted to equip the Bulgarian Navy with new Multipurpose Modular Patrol Vessels (aka Offshore Patrol Vessels) built at the Bulgarian shipyard MTG Dolphin JSC, west of Varna. Lürssen is the prime contractor for the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence, while Swedish manufacturer Saab AB subcontracted to provide the electronics.^[36] The contract was valued at $593 million.^[37] The vessels are 90 meters long and displace 2,300 tons.^[38] The first was launched in August 2023 with delivery scheduled for 2025.

In December 2020 one Russian military attaché in Sofia was alleged to have gathered information on US service members stationed on Bulgarian territory during military exercises.^[13]

In 2021 six USAF F-16s operated from Bulgaria's Graf Ignatievo Air Base.^[13]

On 18 March 18 Bulgaria and Romania amended their 2011 Agreement on cross-border air policing.^[25]

In March 2021 six Bulgarians were charged with espionage and several Russian diplomats were expelled. The Bulgarian ring leader was a highly placed former official with the Ministry of Defense named Ivan Iliev, who corrupted his wife, and who trained military intelligence officers. Two Russian diplomats named Sergei Nikolashin and Vadim Bikov were expelled on 22 March 2021. Iliev was finally apprehended outside the Russian embassy, where he had intended to obtain asylum. Another arrest was that of Lyubomir Medarov who had until then been in charge of the office of classified communications and information of the Bulgarian parliament. Colonel Petar Petrov from the Ministry of Defense had access to the most highly classified documents about NATO activities. One observer characterized this event as the biggest story in Bulgarian defence since World War Two. Prosecutors alleged that the group "posed a serious threat to national security by collecting and handing to a foreign country state secrets of Bulgaria, NATO and the European Union." At the time of the arrests, several held senior positions in the Military Intelligence Service and the Ministry of Defence.^[13][24][35]

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Bulgaria maintains diplomatic relations with:

#	Country	Date^[39]
1	Russia	7 July 1879
2	France	8 July 1879
3	Romania	21 July 1879
4	Italy	25 July 1879
5	Turkey	July 1879
6	United Kingdom	23 July 1879
7	Serbia	6 September 1879
8	Belgium	11 December 1879
9	Greece	9 September 1880
10	Iran	15 November 1897
11	United States	19 September 1903
12	Netherlands	8 July 1909
13	Spain	5 August 1910
14	Albania	April 1914
15	Sweden	6 July 1914
16	Switzerland	31 October 1915
17	Norway	20 April 1918
18	Finland	5 August 1918
19	Poland	30 December 1918
20	Austria	November 1919
21	Hungary	9 August 1920
22	Czech Republic	27 September 1920
23	Egypt	5 November 1925
24	Denmark	17 April 1931
25	Argentina	8 July 1931
26	Brazil	17 September 1934
27	Chile	1935
28	Mexico	6 January 1938
29	Japan	2 October 1939^[40]
30	Israel	29 November 1948
31	North Korea	29 November 1948
32	China	3 October 1948
33	Vietnam	8 February 1950
34	Mongolia	22 April 1950
35	Syria	24 August 1954
36	India	22 December 1954
37	Myanmar	18 November 1955
38	Sudan	1 June 1956
39	Ethiopia	3 June 1956
40	Tunisia	30 August 1956
41	Indonesia	20 September 1956
42	Luxembourg	16 December 1956
43	Uruguay	21 May 1958
44	Iraq	14 August 1958
45	Guinea	2 January 1959
46	Cambodia	18 September 1960
47	Somalia	28 September 1960
48	Cuba	8 October 1960
49	Mali	23 October 1960
50	Cyprus	30 October 1960
51	Democratic Republic of the Congo	22 February 1961
52	Ghana	10 August 1961
53	Afghanistan	12 June 1961
54	Morocco	1 September 1961
55	Sri Lanka	10 June 1962
56	Tanzania	16 June 1962
57	Benin	25 June 1962
58	Laos	13 September 1962
59	Sierra Leone	28 September 1962
60	Algeria	10 October 1962
61	Yemen	12 October 1962
62	Kuwait	15 June 1963
63	Libya	1 June 1963
64	Iceland	27 December 1963
65	Kenya	14 February 1964
66	Nigeria	10 March 1964
67	Uganda	17 May 1964
68	Jordan	9 October 1964
69	Burundi	28 December 1964
70	Republic of the Congo	31 December 1964
71	Pakistan	15 June 1965
72	Mauritania	28 December 1965
73	Canada	30 June 1966
74	Lebanon	19 September 1966
75	Singapore	18 October 1967
76	Ivory Coast	15 December 1967
77	Senegal	28 December 1967
78	Nepal	15 April 1968
79	Burkina Faso	29 May 1968
80	Zambia	20 October 1968
81	Malaysia	4 January 1969
82	Peru	18 April 1969
83	Central African Republic	9 January 1970
84	Costa Rica	9 October 1970
85	Bolivia	18 December 1970
86	Ecuador	28 April 1971
87	Malta	11 September 1971
88	Equatorial Guinea	15 September 1971
89	Bangladesh	31 January 1972
90	Australia	5 April 1972
91	Niger	5 March 1973
92	Panama	21 March 1973
93	Colombia	11 May 1973
94	Philippines	16 November 1973
95	Germany	21 December 1973
96	Guinea-Bissau	2 June 1974
97	Togo	19 June 1974
98	Portugal	26 June 1974^[41]
99	Venezuela	2 August 1974
100	Thailand	10 August 1974
—	State of Palestine	24 August 1974
101	Liberia	1 November 1974
102	Mauritius	20 June 1975
103	Mozambique	25 June 1975
104	Angola	20 November 1975
105	Gabon	15 May 1976
106	Madagascar	15 June 1976
107	Jamaica	22 March 1977
108	Guyana	25 March 1977
109	Comoros	6 June 1977
110	Nicaragua	16 November 1979
111	Rwanda	20 December 1979
112	São Tomé and Príncipe	23 December 1979
113	Zimbabwe	18 April 1980
114	Cape Verde	5 June 1980
115	Grenada	9 June 1980
116	Lesotho	10 June 1980
117	Seychelles	15 August 1980
118	Botswana	16 August 1982
119	Cameroon	24 February 1984
120	Maldives	14 August 1984
121	New Zealand	9 October 1984
122	Chad	10 October 1989^[42]
123	South Korea	23 March 1990
124	Namibia	6 June 1990
125	Ireland	11 June 1990
126	Oman	17 June 1990
127	Qatar	17 October 1990
–	Holy See	6 December 1990
128	Dominican Republic	14 June 1991
129	El Salvador	27 June 1991
130	Estonia	10 September 1991
131	Latvia	10 September 1991
132	United Arab Emirates	10 October 1991
133	Bahrain	15 October 1991
134	Lithuania	10 December 1991
135	Ukraine	13 December 1991
136	Armenia	18 January 1992
137	South Africa	2 February 1992
138	Moldova	5 February 1992
139	Barbados	12 March 1992^[42]
140	Belarus	26 March 1992
141	Turkmenistan	20 May 1992
142	Kyrgyzstan	20 May 1992
143	Azerbaijan	5 June 1992
144	Georgia	5 June 1992
145	Kazakhstan	5 June 1992
146	Croatia	13 August 1992
147	Slovenia	18 August 1992
148	Uzbekistan	12 September 1992
149	Paraguay	7 December 1992
150	Slovakia	1 January 1993
151	Eritrea	31 May 1993
152	Tajikistan	24 August 1993
153	North Macedonia	22 December 1993
154	Guatemala	14 January 1994
155	Belize	15 February 1994
156	Brunei	14 April 1994
157	Liechtenstein	26 April 1994
158	Andorra	14 June 1994
–	Sovereign Military Order of Malta^[43]	11 November 1994
159	Malawi	23 November 1994^[42]
160	Eswatini	30 January 1995
161	Saudi Arabia	20 March 1995
162	Bosnia and Herzegovina	12 January 1996
163	San Marino	17 April 2000^[44]
164	Nauru	30 April 2001^[42]
165	Antigua and Barbuda	7 June 2001^[42]
166	East Timor	21 January 2003^[45]
167	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	11 September 2003
168	Honduras	7 May 2004^[42]
169	Suriname	20 September 2004
170	Montenegro	2 August 2006^[46]
171	Djibouti	13 February 2007^[47]
172	Bahamas	27 September 2007^[42]
–	Kosovo	27 May 2008^[48]
173	Solomon Islands	27 April 2011^[42]
174	Dominica	28 April 2011^[42]
175	Tuvalu	18 May 2011^[42]
176	Trinidad and Tobago	20 September 2011^[42]
177	Fiji	25 May 2015^[42]
178	Monaco	14 February 2018^[49]
179	Vanuatu	24 June 2019^[42]
180	Saint Lucia	5 November 2020^[42]
181	Palau	7 July 2022^[42]
182	Federated States of Micronesia	20 October 2022^[42]
183	Samoa	8 May 2023^[42]
184	Marshall Islands	12 June 2023^[50]

Bulgaria has not established diplomatic relations with Bhutan, Gambia, Haiti, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, South Sudan, and Tonga.

Relations by region and country

Africa

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Algeria	1962^[51]	Algeria has an embassy in Sofia.^[52] Bulgaria has an embassy in Algiers.^[53] Both countries are members of the Union for the Mediterranean.^[54]
Angola	20 November 1975	Since 1976, Bulgaria has an embassy in Luanda.^[55] Angola is represented in Bulgaria through its embassy in Athens (Greece).^[56]
Egypt	3 February 1926^[57]	See Bulgaria–Egypt relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Cairo. Egypt has an embassy in Sofia. Both countries are members of the Union for the Mediterranean.^[54] Bulgarian embassy in Cairo
Ethiopia		Bulgaria has an embassy in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia is accredited to Bulgaria from its permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
Kenya		Bulgaria is accredited to Kenya from its embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Kenya is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Berlin, Germany.
Libya	30 June 1963^[58]	HIV trial in Libya: In the late 1990s a Libyan children's hospital was the site of an outbreak of HIV infection that spread to over 400 patients. Libya blamed the outbreak on Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who were arrested and eventually sentenced to death. The international view was that Libya has used the medics as scapegoats for poor hygiene conditions, and Bulgaria with the support of its main allies the European Union and the United States repeatedly called on Tripoli to release them. The medics were finally extradited to Bulgaria and immediately pardoned at Sofia Airport on July 24, 2007.
Morocco	1 September 1961^[59]^[full citation needed]	Since January 1962, Bulgaria has an embassy in Rabat and an honorary consulate in Casablanca.^[60] Morocco has an embassy in Sofia. Both countries are members of the Francophonie and of the Union for the Mediterranean.^[61]^[54]
Nigeria	1964^[62]	Bulgaria has an embassy in Abuja. Nigeria is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Bucharest, Romania.
South Africa	2 February 1992	See Bulgaria–South Africa relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Pretoria Since 1992, South Africa has an embassy in Sofia.^[63]
Sudan	1 July 1956^[64]	See Bulgaria–Sudan relations In 1967, Bulgaria sent the first Bulgarian ambassador to Khartoum. The activities of the Bulgarian embassy in Khartoum were terminated in April 1990. Bulgaria is accredited to Sudan from its embassy in Cairo, Egypt. Sudan has an embassy in Sofia.
Tunisia	1956^[65]	Bulgaria has an embassy in Tunis.^[66] Tunisia is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Belgrade, Serbia.^[67] Both countries are members of the Union for the Mediterranean.^[54]

Americas

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Argentina	1931^[68]	Argentina has an embassy in Sofia. Bulgaria has an embassy in Buenos Aires.
Belize	15 February 1994^[69]	Bulgaria is represented in Belize through its embassy in Mexico City.^[70]
Brazil	1934^[71]	Brazil has an embassy in Sofia. Bulgaria has an embassy in Brasília.
Canada	30 June 1966^[72]	See Bulgaria–Canada relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Ottawa and a consulate-general in Toronto.^[73]^[74] Canada has a consulate in Sofia, and is represented through its embassy in Bucharest (Romania) for diplomatic matters.^[75]
Chile	1935^[76]	Bulgaria is accredited to Chile from its embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Chile is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Bucharest, Romania and maintains an honorary consulate in Sofia.
Colombia	8 May 1973^[77]^[full citation needed]	Bulgaria is accredited to Colombia from its embassy in Brasília, Brazil. Colombia is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Warsaw, Poland.
Cuba	1960^[78]	Bulgaria has an embassy in Havana. Cuba has an embassy in Sofia.
Dominica		Bulgaria is represented in Dominica through its embassy in Havana, Cuba.^[79]
Ecuador	1971^[80]	Bulgaria is accredited to Ecuador from its embassy in Brasilia, Brazil. Ecuador is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Budapest, Romania and maintains an honorary consulate in Sofia.
Mexico	6 January 1938^[81]^[full citation needed]	See Bulgaria–Mexico relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Mexico City.^[82] Mexico is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Budapest, Hungary and maintains an honorary consulate in Sofia.^[83]
Paraguay	2 December 1992	Bulgaria is accredited to Paraguay from its embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Paraguay is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Rome, Italy.^[84]
Peru	1969	Peru closed its embassy in Sofia for economic reasons in 2003. Bulgaria is accredited to Peru from its embassy in Brasilia, Brazil. Peru is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Athens, Greece.^[85]
United States	1903^[86]	See Bulgaria–United States relations Bulgarian-American relations, first formally established in 1903, have moved from missionary activity and American support for Bulgarian independence in the late 19th century to the growth of trade and commerce in the early 20th century, to reluctant hostility during World War I and open war and bombardment in World War II, to ideological confrontation during the Cold War, to partnership with the United States in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and growing political, military and economic ties in the beginning of the 21st century. Bulgaria has an embassy in Washington, D.C., and consulates-general in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. United States has an embassy in Sofia.
Uruguay		Bulgaria is accredited to Uruguay from its embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Uruguay is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Bucharest, Romania and maintains an honorary consulate in Sofia.

Asia

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Afghanistan	12 June 1961^[87]	Afghanistan has an embassy in Sofia.^[88] Bulgaria has an embassy in Kabul.^[89] Bulgaria has sent 510 soldiers to contribute to the International Security Assistance Force.^[citation needed]
Armenia	18 January 1992^[90]	See Armenia–Bulgaria relations Armenia has an embassy in Sofia. Since December 19, 1999, Bulgaria has an embassy in Yerevan.^[91] Both countries are members of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. Around 30,000 people of Armenian descent are living in Bulgaria. In 2015, Bulgaria recognized the Armenian Genocide^[92]
Azerbaijan	5 June 1992^[93]	See Azerbaijan–Bulgaria relations Bulgaria recognized the independence of Azerbaijan on January 14, 1992. Azerbaijan has an embassy in Sofia.^[94] Bulgaria has an embassy in Baku.^[95] Both countries are members of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
China	3 October 1949^[96]	See Bulgaria–China relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Beijing.^[97] China has an embassy in Sofia.^[98] Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Bulgaria
Georgia	5 June 1992^[99]	See Bulgaria–Georgia relations Bulgaria recognized the independence of Georgia on January 15, 1992. Bulgaria has an embassy in Tbilisi.^[100] Georgia has an embassy in Sofia.^[101] Both countries are members of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
India	22 December 1954^[102]	See Bulgaria–India relations Bulgaria has an embassy in New Delhi and an honorary consulate in Kolkata.^[103] India has an embassy in Sofia.^[104]
Indonesia	20 September 1956^[105]	See Bulgaria–Indonesia relations Bulgaria was among the States that recognized Indonesia's independence on September 21, 1956, and the two countries established diplomatic relations. Bulgaria has an embassy in Jakarta since October 1958 and Indonesia has had an embassy in Sofia since 1960.^[106]
Iran	1897^[107]	Since 1939, Bulgaria has an embassy in Tehran.^[108] Iran has an embassy in Sofia.^[109]^[110]
Iraq	14 August 1958^[111]	See Bulgaria–Iraq relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Baghdad.^[112] Iraq has an embassy in Sofia.^[113] Bulgaria was part of the Multinational force in Iraq between May 2003 and December 2008.
Israel	4 December 1948^[114]	Bulgaria has an embassy in Tel Aviv.^[115] Israel has an embassy in Sofia.^[116] Both countries are members of the Union for the Mediterranean.^[54]
Japan	12 October 1939^[117]	See Bulgaria–Japan relations Both countries re-established diplomatic relations in September 1959. Bulgaria has an embassy in Tokyo and an honorary consulate in Yokohama.^[118] Japan has an embassy in Sofia.^[119] Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Bulgaria
Kazakhstan	5 June 1992^[120]	Since 1994, Bulgaria had an embassy in Almaty, later moved to Nur-Sultan.^[121] Since November 2004, Kazakhstan has an embassy and an honorary consulate in Sofia.
Lebanon	19 September 1966	Since May 1967, Bulgaria has an embassy in Beirut.^[122] Since 1983, Lebanon maintains an embassy in Sofia.^[123] Both countries are members of the Francophonie and of the Union for the Mediterranean.^[61]^[54]
Mongolia	22 April 1950^[124]	See Bulgaria–Mongolia relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia has an embassy in Sofia.
North Korea	29 November 1948^[125]	Diplomatic relations were established on 29 November 1948. Bulgaria maintains an embassy in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea maintains an embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria. Bulgarian Foreign Ministry on the relations between the two countries
Pakistan	15 June 1965^[126]	Since 1974, Bulgaria has an embassy in Islamabad.^[127] Pakistan has an embassy in Sofia.
Palestine	November 1988^[128]	Bulgaria established relations with the Palestine Liberation Organization in September 1975. Bulgaria recognized the State of Palestine on 25 November, 1988. Palestine maintains an embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria.
South Korea	23 March 1990^[129]	See Bulgaria–South Korea relations The establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and Bulgaria began on 23 March, 1990. During the Cold War, the Republic of Bulgaria had diplomatic relations only with North Korea however, after the Cold War, Bulgaria has also had diplomatic relations with South Korea. Bulgaria has an embassy in Seoul.^[130]^[131] South Korea has an embassy in Sofia.^[132]^[133] Bulgaria–South Korea relations
Syria	24 July 1954	See Bulgaria–Syria relations Since May 1955, Bulgaria has an embassy in Damascus and an honorary consulate in Aleppo.^[134] Syria has an embassy in Sofia.^[135] Both countries are members of the Union for the Mediterranean.^[54]
Thailand	10 August 1974^[136]	Since 1975, Bulgaria has an embassy in Bangkok.^[137] Thailand has an honorary consulate in Sofia.^[138] There is a Thai village in Bulgaria since 2006 ^[139]
Turkey	18 October 1925^[140]	See Bulgaria–Turkey relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Ankara, 2 general consulates in Istanbul and Edirne, and a chancellery in Bursa.^[141] Turkey has an embassy in Sofia and 2 general consulates in Plovdiv and Burgas.^[142] Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe and NATO. Bulgaria is an EU member and Turkey is an EU candidate. Bulgaria supports Turkey's accession negotiations to the EU, although negotiations have now been suspended.
United Arab Emirates	19 October 1991^[143]	See Bulgaria–United Arab Emirates relations Bulgaria has a consulate-general in Dubai. United Arab Emirates is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Ankara, Turkey.
Uzbekistan	12 September 1992^[144]	See Bulgaria–Uzbekistan relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Tashkent. Uzbekistan is accredited to Bulgaria from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tashkent.
Vietnam	8 February 1950^[145]	See Bulgaria–Vietnam relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Hanoi.^[146] Vietnam has an embassy in Sofia.^[147]
Yemen	12 October, 1962^[148]	See Bulgaria–Yemen relations Diplomatic relations were established with the Yemen Arab Republic on October 12, 1962, and with the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen on December 10, 1967.^[148]

Europe

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Albania	1922^[149]	See Albania–Bulgaria relations Albania has an embassy in Sofia and a consulate in Plovdiv.^[150] Bulgaria has an embassy in Tirana and a consulate in Vlore.^[150] Both countries are full members of NATO.^[151] Albania is an EU candidate and Bulgaria is an EU member.^[152]^[153]
Andorra	14 July 1993^[154]	Both countries are members of the Council of Europe.^[155]
Austria	7 July 1879^[156]	See Austria–Bulgaria relations Austria has an embassy in Sofia.^[157] Bulgaria has an embassy in Vienna and an honorary consulate in Salzburg.^[158] Both countries are full members of the European Union.^[153]
Belarus	26 March 1992^[159]	See Belarus–Bulgaria relations Bulgaria recognized Belarus on December 23, 1991.^[160] Belarus has an embassy in Sofia and an honorary consulate in Burgas.^[161] Bulgaria has an embassy in Minsk.^[162]
Belgium	1879^[163]	See Belgium–Bulgaria relations Belgium has an embassy in Sofia.^[164] Bulgaria has an embassy in Brussels.^[165] Both countries are members of the European Union, and of NATO and Francophonie.^[153]^[151]^[61]
Bosnia and Herzegovina	15 January 1992^[166]	See Bosnia and Herzegovina–Bulgaria relations Since 1996, Bulgaria has an embassy in Sarajevo, and was the first country to recognize independent Bosnia and Herzegovina.^[167] Bosnia and Herzegovina has an embassy in Sofia.^[168] Both countries are members of the Southeast European Cooperation Process, Southeast European Cooperative Initiative, and the Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe.
Croatia	13 August 1992^[169]	See Bulgaria–Croatia relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Zagreb.^[170] Croatia has an embassy in Sofia.^[171] Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151]
Cyprus	30 October 1960^[172]	See Bulgaria–Cyprus relations Bulgaria was one of the first countries to recognize Cypriot independence on 30 October, 1960.^[173] Bulgaria has an embassy in Nicosia, and honorary consulate in Limassol.^[citation needed] Cyprus has an embassy in Sofia.^[citation needed] Both countries are full members of the European Union and the Council of Europe.^[153]
Czech Republic	27 September 1920^[174]	See Bulgaria–Czech Republic relations Relations were severed on June 1, 1939, and they were restored on October 10, 1945. On December 23, 1992, Bulgaria recognised the Czech Republic and established diplomatic relations with it at the level of embassies as of January 1, 1993. Bulgaria has an embassy and an honorary consulate in Prague.^[175] Czech Republic has an embassy in Sofia and an honorary consulate in Varna.^[176] Both countries are members of the European Union, NATO and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.^[153]^[151]^[177]
Denmark	17 April 1931^[178]	See Bulgaria–Denmark relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Copenhagen. Denmark has an embassy in Sofia. Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151]
Estonia	20 May 1921^[179]	See Bulgaria–Estonia relations Bulgaria recognised Estonia on May 20, 1921, and re-recognised Estonia on August 26, 1991. Both countries restored diplomatic relations on September 10, 1991. In 2009, Bulgaria opened an embassy in Tallinn. Estonia has an embassy and an honorary consulate in Sofia. Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151]
Finland	5 August 1918^[180]	In 1963, the diplomatic representations of the two countries were upgraded to the level of embassy. Bulgaria has an embassy in Helsinki and an honorary consulate in Kemi. Finland has an embassy in Sofia and an honorary consulate in Varna. Both countries are full members of the European Union and of NATO.^[153] Bulgarian embassy in Helsinki Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Bulgaria Finnish embassy in Sofia
France	8 July 1879^[181]	See Bulgaria–France relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Paris France has an embassy in Sofia. Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151] Bulgaria is a member of the Francophonie since 1993.^[182] Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy played a role in the release of a Bulgarian nurse in the HIV trial in Libya. Bulgarian embassy in Paris (in French only) French Foreign Ministry about relations with Bulgaria 2012-02-24 at the Wayback Machine French embassy in Sofia (in French and Bulgarian only)
Germany	1879^[183]	See Bulgaria–Germany relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Berlin, a general-consulate in Munich and an office in Bonn.^[184] Germany has an embassy in Sofia.^[185] Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151] German Foreign Ministry about relations with Bulgaria
Greece	1880^[186]	See Bulgaria–Greece relations Relations between Greece and Bulgaria have been very cordial since the 1950s, due to the strong cultural, political and religious ties between the two nations, preceded in the earlier 20th century by periods of intense mutual hostility. Since Bulgaria's independence in 1876, Greece and Bulgaria faced each other in three major wars: the Second Balkan War, the First World War and the Second World War, in which Bulgaria briefly occupied parts of northern Greece. Bulgaria has an embassy in Athens and a consulate-general in Thessaloniki. Greece has an embassy in Sofia and a consulate-general in Plovdiv. Both countries are full members of the European Union, NATO and of the Council of Europe.^[153]^[151]
Holy See		See Holy See–Bulgaria relations Diplomatic relations were restored on 6 December, 1990.^[187]
Hungary	9 August 1920^[188]	See Bulgaria–Hungary relations Bulgaria and Hungary (then a part of Austria-Hungary) were on the same side during World War I. Bulgaria has an embassy in Budapest. Hungary has an embassy in Sofia and an honorary consulate in Varna. Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151] Bulgarian embassy in Budapest Hungarian embassy in Sofia
Iceland	27 December 1963^[189]	See Bulgaria–Iceland relations Bulgaria has a consular liaison section in the Danish Embassy in Reykjavik.^[189] Both countries are members of NATO.^[151]
Ireland	11 July 1990^[190]	See Bulgaria–Ireland relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Dublin.^[191] Ireland has an embassy in Sofia.^[192] Both countries are members of the European Union and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.^[153]^[177]
Italy	25 July 1879^[193]	See Bulgaria–Italy relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Rome, a general consulate in Milan and 6 honorary consulates (in Ancona, Florence, Genoa, Naples, Turin and Treviso).^[194]^[195] Italy has an embassy in Sofia and an honorary consulate in Plovdiv.^[196] Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151]
Kosovo	27 May 2008^[48]	See Bulgaria–Kosovo relations Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008 and Bulgaria recognized it on March 20, 2008.^[197]^[198] Bulgaria has an embassy in Pristina. Kosovo has an embassy in Sofia.
Latvia	24 May 1922^[199]	See Bulgaria–Latvia relations Bulgaria is represented in Latvia through its Warsaw embassy in Poland and through an honorary consulate in Riga.^[200] Latvia is represented in Bulgaria through its Warsaw embassy in Poland and through an honorary consulate in Sofia.^[201] Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151]
Liechtenstein	19 November 1993^[202]	Both countries are members of the Council of Europe.^[155]
Lithuania	3 November 1924^[203]	See Bulgaria–Lithuania relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Vilnius.^[204] Lithuania has an embassy in Sofia.^[205] Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151] Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign affairs: list of bilateral treaties with Bulgaria (in Lithuanian only) 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
Luxembourg	1956^[206]	Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151]
Malta	10 September 1971^[207]	Bulgaria is represented in Malta through its embassy in Rome (Italy).^[208] Malta has honorary consulates in Sofia and Varna.^[209] Both countries are full members of the European Union.^[153]
Moldova	5 February 1992^[210]	See Bulgaria–Moldova relations Since 1992, Bulgaria has an embassy in Chişinău.^[211] Moldova has an embassy in Sofia.
Monaco	14 February 2008^[212]	Both countries are members of the Council of Europe.^[155]
Montenegro	2 August 2006^[213]	See Bulgaria–Montenegro relations Bulgaria recognized the Republic of Montenegro on June 12, 2006. Both countries are full members of NATO.^[151] Bulgaria is an EU member and Montenegro is a candidate. Bulgarian embassy in Podgorica (in Bulgarian only)
Netherlands	1909^[214]	See Bulgaria–Netherlands relations Bulgaria has an embassy in The Hague.^[215] The Netherlands has an embassy in Sofia.^[216] Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151] Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Bulgaria (in Dutch only)^[permanent dead link]
North Macedonia	15 January 1992^[217]	See Bulgaria–North Macedonia relations Bulgaria was the first country to recognize North Macedonia and the second to open an embassy. The rules governing good neighbourly relations agreed between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia were set in the Joint Declaration of February 22, 1999, reaffirmed by a joint memorandum signed on January 22, 2008, in Sofia.^[218] Both countries are full members of NATO.^[151] Bulgaria is an EU member and North Macedonia is a candidate.
Norway	20 August 1906^[219]	See Bulgaria–Norway relations Since April 1918, Bulgaria has an embassy in Oslo.^[220] Norway is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Bucharest, Romania. Both countries are full members of NATO.^[151]
Poland	30 December 1918^[221]	See Bulgaria–Poland relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Warsaw and an honorary consulate in Wroclaw.^[222] Poland has an embassy in Sofia.^[223] Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151]
Portugal	1893^[224]	See Bulgaria–Portugal relations Relations were severed in 1945 and were restored on June 24, 1974. Bulgaria has an embassy and an honorary consulate in Lisbon.^[225] Portugal has an embassy in Sofia.^[226] Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151]
Romania		See Bulgaria–Romania relations Bulgarian relations with Romania featured regular official visits by the two presidents. Romanian-Bulgarian relations are developing "very intensively" because of EU accession, since Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007. Romania and Bulgaria have never had any serious conflicts, other than a territorial dispute over the Dobruja region in 1913–1940, now largely forgotten. Vidin and Calafat have perhaps the closest relations of any towns along this lower section of the Danube. There is a regular ferry service, so locals here have regular interchange with their neighbors across the border. Bulgaria has an embassy in Bucharest. Romania has an embassy in Sofia. Both countries are full members of the European Union and of NATO.
Russia	7 July 1879^[227]	See Bulgaria–Russia relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Moscow and three consulates general in Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg.^[228] Russia has an embassy in Sofia and consulates generals in Ruse and Varna.^[229] Russia was the first country to recognize Bulgaria, and greatly helped Bulgaria in its war of independence from Ottoman Turkey.
San Marino	17 April 2000^[230]	Both countries are members of the Council of Europe.^[155]
Serbia	18 January 1879^[231]^[full citation needed]	See Bulgaria–Serbia relations There are between 20,000 and 30,000 Bulgarians who are living in Serbia. Bulgaria has an embassy in Belgrade. Serbia has an embassy in Sofia. Bulgaria is an EU member and Serbia is a candidate.^[153]^[152]
Slovakia	1 January 1993^[232]	See Bulgaria–Slovakia relations Bulgaria recognized Slovakia on December 23, 1992. Since February 1994, Bulgaria has an embassy in Bratislava.^[233] Since June 1994, Slovakia has an embassy in Sofia.^[234] Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151]
Slovenia	1992^[235]	See Bulgaria–Slovenia relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Ljubljana.^[236] Slovenia is represented in Bulgaria through its embassy in Budapest (Hungary).^[237] Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151]
Spain	8 May 1910^[238]	See Bulgaria–Spain relations Relations were severed in 1946 and they were restored at the level of consular office and Trade Mission in 1970. Since January 27, 1970, the diplomatic relations were elevated to embassy-level. Bulgaria has an embassy in Madrid and an honorary consulate in Barcelona.^[239] Spain has an embassy in Sofia.^[240] Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO.^[153]^[151]
Sweden	6 June 1914^[241]	See Bulgaria–Sweden relations Since 1915, Bulgaria has an embassy in Stockholm.^[242] Sweden has an embassy in Sofia and an honorary consulate in Varna.^[243] Both countries are full members of the European Union and the Council of Europe.^[153] Bulgaria supports Sweden's NATO membership.
Switzerland	14 November 1916^[244]	See Bulgaria–Switzerland relations Switzerland officially recognized Bulgaria on November 28, 1879. Bulgaria has an embassy in Bern.^[245] Switzerland has an embassy in Sofia.^[246] Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs about relations with Bulgaria
Turkey	18 October 1925^[140]	See Turkey in Asia Above
Ukraine	13 December 1991^[247]	See Bulgaria–Ukraine relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Kyiv (see Embassy of Bulgaria, Kyiv) and a consulate-general in Odesa.^[248] Ukraine has an embassy in Sofia (see Embassy of Ukraine, Sofia) and a consulate-general in Bourgas, Varna, Plovdiv and Ruse.^[249] Ukrainian-Bulgarian relations are characterized by a constant active political dialogue at the highest level. Ukraine and Bulgaria actively cooperate and provide mutual support within the framework of regional and international organizations, such as the BSEC, the Central European Initiative, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the United Nations. Bulgaria, has confirmed readiness to promote the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine. It occupies an important place in the Balkan direction of Ukraine's foreign policy interests, which is due to the geopolitical position of the country in the Balkans, the proximity of interests in the Black Sea and the Danube region. Ukraine and Bulgaria are united by ethnic, linguistic and religious components, traditional economic, trade and cultural-historical ties. Bulgaria is an important market for Ukrainian products and the largest trade and economic partner of Ukraine in the Balkan region. In 2017, foreign trade between Ukraine and Bulgaria demonstrated growth dynamics.
United Kingdom	23 July 1879^[250]	See Bulgaria–United Kingdom relations Bulgaria has an embassy in London.^[251] The United Kingdom has an embassy in Sofia.^[252] Both countries are full members of NATO.^[151] British Foreign and Commonwealth Office about relations with Bulgaria

Oceania

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Australia	5 April 1972^[253]	Australia is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Athens, Greece and maintains an honorary consulate in Sofia.^[254] Bulgaria has an embassy in Canberra.^[255]
New Zealand	9 October 1984^[256]	Bulgaria is accredited to New Zealand from its embassy in Canberra, Australia. New Zealand is accredited to Bulgaria from its embassy in Brussels, Belgium.

See also

• List of diplomatic missions in Bulgaria
• List of diplomatic missions of Bulgaria
• List of joint US-Bulgarian military bases

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December 20, 2023