Expats

Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry Gearing Up for Anticipated Recall of Ambassadors [Nov 09, 2011] Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry has confirmed that it is gearing up for the upcoming reshuffle of diplomatic staff. Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Vesela Cherneva assured that consultations were underway on the action plan for the expected recall of Bulgarian ambassadors exposed as collaborators of the communist regime's State Security (DS) and the subsequent ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Plevneliev Vows to Make Bulgaria 'Proud EU Member' [Nov 07, 2011] Bulgaria will assume its proper place as a "proud member" of the European Union, promised its President-Elect Rosen Plevneliev during a meeting with the Ambassadors of the EU member countries in Sofia. The major focus of Plevneliev's pledges to the rest of the EU on Monday was his promise that Bulgaria will keep its financial discipline during his term (January 2012-January 2017), announced the ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Bans Ex-Communist Agents from Key Diplomatic Jobs [Jul 14, 2011] Employees of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry who were active as secret State Security agents during the Communist regime will no longer be allowed to take key diplomatic positions. The amendments to Bulgaria's Diplomatic Service Act were adopted at second reading Thursday. Bulgaria's 35 ambassadors proven to have been collaborators of the communist regime's secret service can now be removed from ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria Halfway to Banning Ex Spies from Serving as Ambassadors [Jun 24, 2011] Bulgaria's 35 ambassadors proven to have been collaborators of the communist regime's secret service will be removed from their posts, according amendments to the Diplomatic Service Act adopted by the Parliament at first reading. The much anticipated but still controversial "diplomatic lustration" legislation championed by Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov was adopted Thursday with 92 votes in ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Foreign Minister: Our Envoys Don't Write in 'WikiLeaks Style' [May 31, 2011] Bulgaria's envoys abroad do not write diplomatic cables the same way US Ambassadors do, according to the country's Foreign Minister, Nikolay Mladenov. The Bulgarian diplomats also do psychological profiles of politicians with whom important meetings are scheduled, but in a "different style", he said. "The gravest issue with what comes out from WikiLeaks is that big conclusions are being made ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria to clear Soviet-era spies from overseas embassies [May 26, 2011] Bulgaria could soon dismiss a raft of ambassadors linked to its former secret police, as it pushed legislation yesterday to clear the Balkan country?s diplomatic ranks from Communist-era secret services agents. [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 >>

13 Bulgarian ambassadors recalled, could be dismissed for previous work as secret agents [May 03, 2011] SOFIA, Bulgaria - Bulgaria has recalled 13 of its ambassadors pending dismissal for having once served as secret service agents for the nation's former communist governments. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria to recall 37 diplomats [Apr 07, 2011] Bulgaria will recall this year 37 ambassadors and high-level diplomats who were revealed to have worked for the communist-era intelligence services, the foreign ministry announced yesterday. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria President: No Dismissals of Diplomats over Spy Row [Feb 10, 2011] Bulgaria's president has made it absolutely clear he will resist pressure to sack forty-one ambassadors on the grounds that they worked for the communist-era secret service. "The more I read the secret files, the more I see this is the right thing to do," President Georgi Parvanov said on Thursday. The president pointed out that he is being constantly briefed on the reactions to these ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria President Fully Backs Embattled Envoys in Spy Row [Jan 23, 2011] Bulgaria's president has made it clear he will resist pressure to sack forty-one ambassadors on the grounds that they worked for the communist-era secret service. "I have read half of all secret files and it is only in the file of one ambassador that I found morally reproachful actions," President Georgi Parvanov said on Sunday as he presented his book entitled "The First Term of Georgi Parvanov ... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's MPs Call for Diplomat Sackings over Spy Row [Jan 14, 2011] Bulgaria's parliament has adopted a declaration, demanding the withdrawal of 42 senior diplomats - including the country's ambassadors to Germany, the US and the UK - on the grounds they worked for the communist-era secret service. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Top Diplomat Asks MPs to Take Stand on Envoys Scandal [Dec 26, 2010] Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, says to have 45% of Ambassadors as former agents of the secret services of the Communist regime is a colossal embarrassment. [via YahooNews] More >>

Interviews: Bulgaria in 2011 [Dec 26, 2010] This guy does not know his rights. First he could immediately recall the Ambassadors from New York and Geneva, because he does not need approval/ signature of the President... [via YahooNews] More >>

Interviews: Bulgaria-US Survey [Dec 19, 2010] This guy does not know his rights. First he could immediately recall the Ambassadors from New York and Geneva, because he does not need approval/ signature of the President... [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria To Recall Former Communist Spies Serving As Diplomats [Dec 16, 2010] (RTTNews) - Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov said Wednesday that his government would request President President Georgi Parvanov to recall ambassadors who had previously served as agents of the former communist secret service. [via YahooNews] More >>

Bulgaria's Ex-Foreign Minister not Surprised by Diplomats with Communist State Security Past [Dec 15, 2010] Bulgaria's former Foreign Minister Solomon Passy. Photo by BGNES The list with Bulgarian Ambassadors and Consuls, who have been agents of the former Communist State Security , has been known by all recent Foreign Ministers. [via YahooNews] More >>

US, EU United on Bulgaria Urgent Need of New Penal Code [Apr 13, 2010] The Ambassadors to Bulgaria from the US and Spain stated for the Media Tuesday their countries' position on Bulgaria's new Penal Code. [via YahooNews] More >>

US, Spain, Austria Ambassadors Optimistic about Bulgaria's Future (Novinite.com) [Mar 23, 2010] The Ambassadors of the US, Spain and Austria to Sofia voiced optimism about Bulgaria's future during a working breakfast with representatives of the country's business. [via YahooNews] More >>

EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva: Bulgaria Not Threatened with Having Greece?s Financial Problems (Novinite.com) [Mar 15, 2010] Bulgaria?s EU Commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva, who is in charge of the EC humanitarian aid portfolio, has answered questions of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and a couple of Bulgarian-language media before she joined the Ambassadors of the EU member states in Sofia for a special lunch organized by the Spanish Embassy in Sofia as part of the program of the Spanish EU Presidency.* [via YahooNews] More >>