One of Nikolai Mladenov's first tasks as Foreign Minister will be to work on naming Bulgarian ambassadors in Washington, Paris, Athens and Skopje, Mladenov told reporters on February 18 2010 during a presentation of his team.

Another of his priorities will be setting up a centre dealing with emergency situations involving Bulgarians abroad, Darik radio said.

Mladenov said that he would start a thorough analysis of the Foreign Ministry's structure and its diplomatic service. This meant that, for the moment, rationalisation of ministry staff abroad would be put on hold pending the outcome of the process.

On the basis of the analysis, some Bulgarian embassies abroad could be closed, while new ones could be opened.

Mladenov said that he would work on improving co-ordination with the Ministries of Economy, Energy and Tourism, Defence, Interior and Finance.

Other priorities included Bulgaria joining the Schengen visa free area, Bulgaria's energy security and the country's policy on the Balkans.


Mladenov said that he would retain the three Deputy Ministers whom he inherited from his predecessor Roumyana Zheleva, who resigned from her post in January 2010.

The three Deputy Foreign Ministers are Marin Raikov, Konstantin Dimitrov and Milen Luytskanov.

The new faces on Mladenov's team at the Foreign Ministry are Vessela Tcherneva, who replaces Dragovest Draganov as Foreign Ministry spokesperson, and former Bulgarian ambassador to Iraq Valeri Rachev who will be head of Mladenov's political cabinet.