Expats

Bulgaria to Pay Debt on Burgas-Alexandroupolis in 2012 [Feb 01, 2012] Bulgaria plans to pay its debt on the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline in 2012, said Plamen Grozdanov, Bulgarian Ambassador to Moscow. In an interview for Russian news agency Interfax, he explained that the Bulgarian government had agreed to allocate BGN 12.8 M for the payment of its financial obligations as a participant in the oil pipeline project. ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Boevski in Shock, Moved to Another Brazilian Jail [Nov 11, 2011] Former Olympic weightlifting champion Galabin Boevski, who was detained at the end of last month in Brazil and accused of carrying nine kilos of cocaine in his luggage, is in a state of emotional shock and will be transferred out of Pinheiros jail. Boevski will share a cell with other Bulgarians at the Itai prison, it emerges from a report by Manuel do Nascimento, interim ambassador at Bulgaria ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Eager to Partner with Poland in EU Fund Absorption [Nov 10, 2011] Bulgaria wants to work in close cooperation with Poland in the planning and absorption of EU funds between 2014 and 2020, it was made clear on Thursday, "We are willing to work in close collaboration with Poland in carrying out EU policies," Bulgaria's President-elect Rosen Plevneliev declared on Thursday, as he met with Poland's Ambassador to the country Leszek Hensel. "Poland is a leader in ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's PM - 'Armani-Clad Tough Guy' in WikiLeaks Cable - Report [Aug 18, 2011] A 2005 diplomatic cable by former US Ambassador to Bulgaria John Beyrle is reported to have described Bulgaria's future PM Boyko Borisov as an "Armani-clad tough guy." This has been reported by Bivol.... [via YahooNews] More >>

Lukoil Bosses 'Already in Bulgaria' over Revoked License [Jul 28, 2011] Members of Russian oil major Lukoil management have urgently arrived in Sofia for talks over the revoked licenses of its refinery in Bulgaria to sell fuels, a former ambassador in Moscow has revealed. Ilian Vassilev told the Bulgarian national radio he knows who heads the delegation, but refused to disclose his name since "this type of negotiations are too discrete". Bulgaria's Neftochim, the ... [via YahooNews] More >>

WikiLeaks: Islamic Extremists Are Active in Bulgaria [Jul 14, 2011] "Islamic extremists are active in the country with Bulgaria's government officially tolerant, but Muslim minorities and their problems being often ignored by central authorities." This statement comes from a cable, dated October 10, 2005, sent to the US State Department by former US Ambassador to Sofia, John Beyrle, titled "Islam and Islamic Extremism in Bulgaria.... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Honors Wife of Italy's Former Ambassador [Jul 08, 2011] Zohara Campagnola, the spouse of Italy's former Ambassador to Bulgaria, was awarded on Friday the Madara Horseman order during an official ceremony at the presidency. Mrs. Campagnola was honored for her outstanding contribution to the development of social services for disabled people and the fight against cancer in Bulgaria. ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Ex PM Filip Dimitrov on Run for President: No, No, No [Jul 01, 2011] Former Bulgarian Prime Minister Filip Dimitrov, who became at the end of last year the first officially appointed EU ambassador, has firmly denied he may join the race for the presidential office on the ticket of the ruling party. "The short answer to this question is "no". No, no, no," Dimitrov said in an interview for Standard daily. ... [via YahooNews] More >>

EU Danube Strategy Paves Way for Bulgaria's Bright Future - Regional Devt Minister [Jun 30, 2011] The EU Strategy for the Danube Region is expected to contribute in a number of crucial ways for Bulgaria's development, Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev has declared in Ruse. Plevneliev hosted a news conference on a boat in the Danube River off Ruse's coast on Thursday, together with Hungarian Ambassador to Buglaria Judit Lang, Bulgaria's Deputy Economy Minister in charge of ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Poptodorova: Small US Business Is Interested in Bulgaria [May 21, 2011] Smaller US companies are increasingly interested in investing in Bulgaria, Bulgarian Ambassador to Washington DC, Elena Poptodorova, says. In an interview for the Bulgarian news agency, BTA, Poptodorova commented on her just-concluded 5-day trip across the US. She went to the cities of Chicago, Il, Houston, TX; Phoenix, AZ, and San Francisco, CA in a joint initiative with US Ambassador to Sofia ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Ex-Top Cop Bashes Former US Envoy [May 18, 2011] Rumen Petkov, Bulgaria's former Interior Minister, verbally assaulted former US Ambassador, John Beyrle. "I am dismayed by how the any Ambassador can write lies and slanders, on the basis of which the US forms its official position," Petkov told the Bulgarian TV7 channel Wednesday. He was referring to a recently published WikiLeaks diplomatic cable, in which former US Ambassador John Beyrle ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Ex Top Cop Renews Attacks on US Diplomats [May 18, 2011] Former Bulgarian Interior Minister, Rumen Petkov, launched Wednesday a new attack on the former US Ambassador to Sofia, John Beyrle and the current one - James Warlick. In an interview for TV7, Petkov, who is currently a Member of the Parliament from the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), said he was "astonished to learn that US Ambassadors write cables based on rumors and gossip, which ... [via YahooNews] More >>

US Ambassador: Bulgaria's IT, Agriculture Key Sectors for Attracting US Investment [May 16, 2011] Bulgaria presents exciting trade and investment opportunities for US companies, US Ambassador James Warlick said before embarking on a "Road Show" in four US cities together with AmCham and his Bulgarian counterpart in DC. "There are many advantages for establishing business relationships here in Bulgaria such as the well-educated and motivated workforce, the low and flat tax rate, quick access ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Expert Warns Russian Influence Affects Bulgaria's 'Strategic Orientation' [Apr 28, 2011] Unlike other Eastern European states, Bulgaria is still subject to strong Russian influence, according to Boyko Noev, former Defense Minister and ex Bulgarian Ambassador to NATO. According to Noev, Russian influence in Bulgaria affects the country's strategic orientation and decision-making process. "After the end of the Cold War confrontation, no nation in Europe has political goals that can be ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria, Macedonia Honor Common Revolutionary [Apr 21, 2011] Bulgarian and Macedonian officials commemorated Yane Sandanski, a revolutionary of importance for both countries, on the occasion of the 96-th anniversary of his death. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Bulgaria's Foreign, Affairs Maxim Gaitandjiev, and the Ambassador of Macedonia to the country, Blagoi Handzhiyski, laid wreaths at the grave of Yane Sandanski, near the Bulgarian Rozhen ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Parliamentary Speaker Refutes US Ambassador [Apr 11, 2011] US Ambassador to Bulgaria James Warlick's recent comments on the country's judicial system are inappropriate, according to Parliamentary speaker Tsetska Tsacheva. "There are two judicial systems in the country ? one for the rich and the powerful, placing them above the law, and one for the common people," Warlick said last Tuesday. The Ambassador pointed the need of an effective police force ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Chief Magistrates: US Envoy's Allegations False, Perplexing [Apr 05, 2011] Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev and President of the Supreme Court of Cassation Lazar Gruev have rejected the claim of US ambassador to Sofia James Warlick that Bulgaria's judiciary acts differently for common people and for those with power. "We are bewildered by the position of His Excellency James Warlick that Bulgaria has two judicial system - one for the poor and one for the rich ... [via YahooNews] More >>

WikiLeaks: 'Uncensored' 2005 US Diplomatic Cable on Organized Crime in Bulgaria [Mar 18, 2011] From WikiLeaks WikiLeaks released on Friday, March 18, 2011, what it says to be an "uncensored" version of US diplomatic cable by former US Ambassador James Pardew sent on July 7, 2005, outlining "Who Is Who in Bulgarian Organized Crime" as well as connections between organized crime and politicians. A shortened, or "censored", version of the same document was first released in December 2010 ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Ex-Interior Head Vows to Roast US Ambassador [Mar 09, 2011] Rumen Petkov, Bulgaria's controversial ex-Interior Minister has said he will send letters to the US Senate and Congress bashing US Ambassador to Bulgaria James Warlick. In the letters, Petkov, who is currently an MP from the leftist Bulgarian Socialist Party, will 'sketch some typical tendencies in US Ambassador James Warlick's behavior'. Petkov's war against Warlick was triggered at the end of ... [via YahooNews] More >>

US Ambassador: Bulgaria Now Is Calmer Place to Live [Feb 17, 2011] US ambassador to Bulgaria James Warlick has praised the country's embattled interior minister, saying the government has made huge strides in the combat against corruption. "Bulgaria now is a calmer place to live," Ambassador Warlick said during his visit to the city of Stara Zagora on Thursday, but added that there is a lot of work to be done in the judicial system and the battle against ... [via YahooNews] More >>