site.btaUPDATED Foreign Minister, Consultative Council Chair Present Bulgaria's First Draft Foreign Policy Strategy

Outgoing Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel and Consultative Council Chair Georgy Fotev presented Bulgaria's draft foreign policy strategy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.

The draft strategy covers the period 2024-2030. The document aims to increase predictability and support for Bulgarian foreign policy and to enhance the authority of the Bulgarian diplomatic service. Until now, there was no separate document for Bulgaria's foreign policy strategy, as it was integrated in the National Security Strategy.

This is the first document of its kind, Gabriel noted. "Today our foreign policy has to deal with complex tasks, to find solutions to strengthen stability, security and cooperation in Europe and globally," the Foreign Minister pointed out. She noted that dialogue and diplomacy are the most reliable means of reaching consensus. "They are also the bridge to more predictable international planning and negotiations for a secure, stable world," Gabriel said.

She stressed that the uncertainty in the present world requires investing much more efforts to tackle threats and to ensure the security of Bulgaria and its people. Gabriel stressed that the development of a foreign policy strategy has become a necessity, taking into account the challenges facing foreign policy in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the destruction of the security infrastructure in Europe, she said.

The document sets the country's most important strategic goals, shaped in eight areas:

• Full participation in the policies within the European Union and NATO in the pursuit of Bulgarian national interests including full accession to the Schengen area and the euro area
• Active regional policy of good neighborliness and regional cooperation in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region. Turning Bulgaria into an innovative regional leader
• Building on established strategic partnerships with Euro-Atlantic countries and forging new ones with partners outside Europe
• Protection of the rights and interests of Bulgarian communities abroad
• Effective multilateral diplomacy
• Cultural and digital diplomacy as a strategic tool of influence and authority
• Foreign economic diplomacy aimed at the prosperity of business and the nation
• Strategic communication and public diplomacy aimed at protecting national security and countering disinformation and hybrid threats