Bulgaria serves as an example for other countries in the region, US ambassador to Bulgaria John Beyrle said in a lecture he gave in front of Sofia University students on April 24 2007.

Kosovo will need the help of the US and the European Union (EU) to establish supremacy of law in its territory and Bulgaria played and will keep on playing important role in this process, Beyrle said.

Balkan countries’ fears that Kosovo’s independence will lead to separatist moods among other ethnic minorities in the region were exaggerated, Beyrle said.

The question was not whether Kosovo will be independent, but what independence it would get, uncontrolled or UN-controlled. EU integration of the Balkan countries was the best “tool” against the fear of eventual Great Albania creation.

As an EU member Bulgaria’s role on the peninsula was to give advices, but also to set example to its neighbouring countries.

Beyrle said that Bulgaria’s impressive contribution to NATO and its close relations with Russia will help Russian people overcome NATO-related fears. Bulgaria should not chose between the US and Russia, but should further their relations.

Bulgarians should have different view on the world, Beyrle said. The country’s EU accession gave them almost boundless opportunities that should be made use of. Bulgaria had global prospects, but global responsibilities too and could not be just a spectator closed within its own borders.