When current UK ambassador to Sofia Steve Williams was first in Bulgaria 25 years ago, ordinary people exchanged pleasantries with him before scurrying across dark corridors and retreating into their homes. Conversations with Western officials were "verboten". Fear and suspicion permeated the air.

So much, of course, has changed. Ambassador Williams is now 50 –  and two years into his second appointment in Sofia – although he looks at least five years younger.

"Back then I was third secretary. Later, I was promoted to the exulted heights of second secretary and political and economic and cultural attache. Being cultural attache was actually half my job because the British Council did not have their own office in Bulgaria in those days. So I was their representative in Bulgaria as well," says Williams.

Williams’ first posting in Sofia was between 1984 and 1987. The repression in those days disturbed him greatly.

"For me, in what was otherwise a happy time as a young, newly-married diplomat, this inability to have conversations with ordinary people and get to know them was the single most depressing aspect of my time here. People knew – quite correctly – that they would have problems with state security if they had conversations with Western diplomats. We lived in an apartment in the centre. This was unusual in that most diplomats resided in ‘a diplomatic ghetto’ up near Joliot Curie, but we lived in a really nice block near Orlov Most (Eagle Bridge).

People were friendly but we never got beyond ‘dober den’ or ‘kak ste?’ on the stairwell. To me, coming back 20 years later, the single biggest change is to be able to converse normally with ordinary people. It was very hard to get an insight into everyday life in those days."
Given the dramatic changes that have taken place I wonder if Williams thinks a Bulgarian "museum of communism" would be a good idea. Or should we consign the past to just that – history?  

"No, we should not forget the past. It’s vital to understand and learn from the past to build a better future, so that 45 years of communist dictatorship in Bulgaria is not airbrushed out of history books. It’s important to understand how that regime was established, its consequences, the realities of that rule and why it failed. As for a so-called museum of communism, as a ‘glorification’ of communism, no, but as part of a wider historical understanding of communism’s place in history, yes."

Stereotypes
Despite Bulgaria’s great strides in the last quarter of a century, I wonder if mutual stereotypes between the UK and Bulgaria still exist. Williams thinks these are dwindling and the so-called East/West cultural divide is shrinking, if not non-existent.

"We’re all Europeans, all part of the European Union, so there’s no cultural divide, there may be differences of opinion and approach on specific issues but that’s quite normal. On the vast majority of issues, however, like the economic crisis, economic reform or climate change, we have very similar outlooks. We’ve made huge progress in every respect."
Williams cites four airlines that now have daily flights between the UK and Bulgaria and reveals that London is now the single biggest source of passengers to Sofia Airport.

"Hundreds of thousands of people visit every year and many Bulgarians go to the UK. Trade is increasing with business people travelling to and fro. Awareness of each other’s countries has dramatically improved, through the internet and television. Occasionally, I still encounter Bulgarians who have a Dickensian image of a fog-shrouded London. But not very many."

Do Bulgarian politicians still resent, I wonder, the restrictions placed on Bulgarian workers in the UK?
"The Bulgarian Government would prefer that these restrictions were not in place but they understand that they are there for a temporary period following Bulgaria’s accession and that they are permitted under the accession treaty. The restrictions are not targeted at Bulgaria or Romania.

They are simply a reflection of changes in the UK’s labour market. They are kept under regular review. Obviously, we’re currently in a period of economic crisis with rising unemployment but we do work closely with the Bulgarian government. The Bulgarian embassy in London has a labour attache who also monitors this issue."
Part of Williams’ job is to have regular meetings with politicians and opinion formers.

During his meetings with Prime Minister Boiko Borissov, Williams says he speaks in Bulgarian. "I wouldn’t say I’m fluent because I think that’s an over-used term, but I try hard," he says. As to the nature of his discussions - "Obviously, it’s my role to promote British interests in Bulgaria. I’ve been calling up ministers about specific areas of co-operation and common interests."