site.btaForeign Minister Outlines Bulgaria’s Contribution to European Security and Prosperity in Paris Lecture

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev delivered a lecture at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) in Paris, in which he outlined Bulgaria’s contribution to building a more secure and prosperous Europe and the country’s vision for addressing the challenges associated with the radical change of the international environment, the Foreign Ministry reported on Wednesday.

Ifri is a leading platform for research and analysis of contemporary world politics and diplomacy. Georgiev is in the French capital for the Ministerial Council Meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

In his lecture Bulgaria’s chief diplomat described Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine as the main challenge to European security architecture and international legal order. He warned of weakening security partnerships and systems. “Such factors as the Middle East crisis, the expanding cooperation among autocratic regimes such as Russia, China, Iran and the DPRK, the military conflicts in Africa, which can potentially increase migrant movements to Europe, hybrid and cyber threats, and the so-called information war, pose serious challenges to the EU and all democratic societies,” he said.

“As an active member of the EU and NATO, Bulgaria has, from the very beginning, supported Ukraine consistently in resisting the Russian aggression and has been among the main donors of aid to Ukraine as part of the EU’s coordinated support,” he said.

Georgiev stressed the efforts of US President Donald Trump’s Administration to work actively for ending Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and achieving a just and sustainable peace through negotiations. “Without a doubt, the agreements which would be reached would have lasting consequences not only for peace in Ukraine and security in Europe but also for international order on a global level. Bulgaria, as an ally on NATO’s eastern flank and a Black Sea country, is on the frontline, and therefore the agreements which would be reached would have a direct impact on us,” he said. According to him, the rule that “nothing about Ukraine should be decided without Ukraine” remains the main principle of the negotiations.

Sofia welcomes the incipient process of planning in the “coalition of the willing” to obtain reliable guarantees for security and lasting peace in Ukraine, the Foreign Minister said, adding that any further actions depend directly on the progress in the ceasefire negotiations and the potential peace agreements.

He noted that, along with the military aggression in Ukraine, Russia is waging a targeted and equally dangerous information war against the democratic values and institutions of the EU and its member states. He said countering hybrid threats is a priority for Bulgaria. “The Black Sea region, and also the Western Balkans, which are a particularly important neighbour to Bulgaria, are concrete targets of hybrid activities, cyber threats and attempts to interfere in the strategic choices about the foreign policy orientation of these countries,” Georgiev said.

Stressing that the European integration of the Western Balkans remains a strategic objective for Bulgaria, Georgiev recalled that the effort received strong impetus during the Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2018, when the matter was defined as a fundamental priority. “Bulgaria supported the NATO membership of the Republic of North Macedonia and supports the country’s accession to the EU based on the ‘own merits’ rule and the fulfillment of the criteria and the commitments assumed,” he said.

Discussing the Middle East crisis, Georgiev said that strategic partnership with the US is important in seeking a fair and sustainable solution to the conflict. He said such a solution seems hard to find without Washington’s active involvement and support.

The Foreign Minister briefed the audience on one of Bulgaria’s top foreign policy objectives: accession to the OECD as a logical continuation of the country’s efforts to become a modern democratic society and a prosperous market economy. Sofia aspires to complete the technical stage of the OECD accession process by the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026 and hopes to be invited to join the organization later in 2026, he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said that Georgiev and OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann signed an Agreement on the Privileges, Immunities, and Facilities Granted to the OECD.