United States secretary of state Hillary Clinton has instructed her special envoy for Eurasian energy, Richard Morningstar, to visit Bulgaria for expert-level discussions on Bulgaria’s energy-diversity issues.
 
This emerged on February 5 2012 at a joint news conference in Sofia by Clinton and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov.
 
Clinton was in the Bulgarian capital for a visit of a few hours that included meetings with Borissov and a group of Cabinet ministers – of foreign affairs, defence, economy and finance – as well as President Rossen Plevneliev.
 
Ahead of the visit, which has an agenda of several items, US media said that the trip was aimed at persuading Bulgaria to break its energy dependence on Russia.
 
Clinton praised what she called the very strong partnership between the US and Bulgaria, highlighting, among other areas, co-operation in the context of Nato. Noting that there would be a series of joint military exercises this year, Clinton said that there would be a thorough review of military co-operation to consider its development in the future.
 
She paid tribute to Bulgaria’s reform achievements, its relatively low unemployment, low taxation, social and economic development and efforts against corruption.
 
Clinton, who was in Bulgaria at the invitation of Foreign Minister Nikolai Mladenov, spoke highly of the Sofia Platform conferences, aimed at sharing the experiences of Central and Eastern Europe in transition to democracy with the leaders of the Arab Spring.
 
She said that the US stood with the Bulgarian government in its desire to be able to provide affordable energy, and said that she was sending Morningstar for talks in this area.
 
Bulgaria's Cabinet decided on January 17 2012 to amend the licence awarded to US oil firm Chevron, explicitly banning the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technology in the exploration of potential shale gas reserves in the country's northeast.
 
Borissov said that nature and the environment took first place in Bulgaria and unless the public was persuaded that a process was not dangerous, it could not move forward.
 
Clinton, describing as "tragic" the defeat of a UN Security Council resolution on Syria on February 4, after council permanent members Russia and China voted against, their vetoes defeating the 13 votes in favour, said that with an emasculated Security Council, diplomatic efforts would be stepped up with partners around the world that supported the right of the people of Syria to a better future.