Q: Bulgaria is currently a very staunch ally of the United States. At the same time, it is a European Union accession country, and at the same time, Russia - a subject you know a lot about - has substantial economic and geopolitical interests in this region. Do you see, over the short term or medium term, a three-way contest developing between these three axes for Bulgaria’s allegiance in economic and geopolitical terms?
A: No. I don’t. The time in which we thought of the Balkans as a site of confrontation between three big powers belongs to the 19th or the 20th century, certainly not to the 21st century. Bulgaria’s entry into the EU, which is something that the US supports very much, couldn’t be more in our national interests because it will make Bulgaria more stable, more prosperous, a stronger partner for the US, and an ally of the US, facing a lot of the joint challenges, the joint problems that we are going to have to take on in this century. With regard to Russia, Bulgaria’s long history with Russia - it has gone through many periods and many phases - we recognise the fact that culturally, linguistically, the links are very strong and I think what’s important about the Bulgarian-Russian relationship is that it has developed in a way that is economically beneficial to both countries. Bulgaria currently imports a lot of its energy from Russia - that’s only natural; we know that Bulgaria is working to diversify the sources of its energy as much as possible, through a dynamic process of consultation with Russia, and frankly it has good political relations with Russia, as it does with all of its neighbours, to a degree almost unprecedented in Bulgaria’s history. So, none of this in any way harms the relationship that we have with Bulgaria. On the contrary, when Bulgaria joins the EU it will be joining part of the most important trade and political relationship that the US enjoys.
Q: To turn that question around, do you then see Bulgaria, within this region, being able to play some kind of intermediary role, as an ally of the US, because you would have a friend within the EU that slightly changes the balance within the EU?
A: I think that we have a lot of friends in the EU. I think the idea that there is some sort of rift between America and Europe has been greatly exaggerated. We are part of a common civilisation, and Bulgaria unquestionably is a European nation. The relationship that we have with Bulgaria is only going to get stronger when it joins the EU. Certainly, Bulgaria’s role in this region, in the Balkans, can be looked on as a model, especially with some of the countries to the west of here which might aspire to some of the same memberships, in the EU or certainly in NATO, that Bulgaria now enjoys, if they follow the same path of reform that Bulgaria has gone through over the past 10 to 15 years.
Q: There have been many commentators in recent years that have talked about a rising tide of anti-Americanism in Europe, and again, as you pointed out, Bulgaria is a European country. Do you detect any change in popular sentiment towards the US from your previous term here, compared to your current term, given that what has happened in the past few years has changed sentiment in Europe towards the US?
A: You have to remember that my previous term here was 20 years ago, when Bulgaria was a very different country, and people did not feel free to express, perhaps, what they truly felt about America. I see today here a very genuine warmth and openness towards America and Americans, something that I just did not have the opportunity to enjoy when I was here 20 years ago because there was a something of a climate of fear, and certainly a lot of suspicion about American diplomats, and it is just such a tremendous pleasure to come back now and be able to meet and get to know Bulgarians on a personal level and find out really how warm and generous they are as a people. That, to me, is the biggest change, and the biggest pleasure that I have had in the short time, just over two months, that I have been here.
Q: Bulgaria’s future involvement in Iraq - what is Washington’s perspective?
A: We see that Bulgaria has been a very valuable contributor to the multi-national effort to bring some stability and hope for a better future for the people of Iraq. Bulgarian forces, as part of the multi-national coalition, have really served with distinction, and at great sacrifice. We are tremendously and painfully aware of what that’s cost the Bulgarian people, and especially the families of the soldiers who lost their lives. We do not take any of that for granted, and we do not forget it. What we’ve seen is that Bulgaria as a nation, which is a new member of NATO and which in many ways is seeing its soldiers in operation outside of its borders for the first time in many centuries, has proved that it can be a contributor to stability. There were a lot of questions in the run-up to the expansion of NATO as to whether countries that were aspiring to join were going to be consumers of or contributors to security. I don’t think that anyone asks that question anymore with regard to Bulgaria. In Iraq, we know that the decision of the Bulgarian Parliament and the Bulgarian Government is that the current contingent in the country will be withdrawn at the end of the year. And that is a sovereign right that any country has. What we appreciate, and what other members of the coalition appreciate, is that Bulgaria is doing this in consultation with its partners so that there is no surprise and so that planning can take place to make sure that this happens in a very rational and predictable way. At the same time, it’s been made very clear by a host of Bulgarian officials, from the very top on down, that Bulgaria sees the importance of staying involved in the effort to try and restore stability, to try to build a better future for the people of Iraq. There are discussions going now, as we understand it, within the Bulgarian Government about exactly what format that new participation should take next year. We’ve made some suggestions to the Bulgarian side about various options which we think could add value, but the decision really is up to them, and we know that the discussions are taking place and we have no doubt that they will inform us in due time what the decision is. I have no doubt that we will welcome it, simply, as I said, because the Bulgarian forces have already shown that they contribute a lot to the fight.
Q: You just referred, in very brief terms, to the ‘options’ that you suggested. What are those options?
A: Well, I don’t want to go into details as to what the options might be, because it a shifting kaleidoscope of missions, but Bulgarians have shown that they have a great deal of range, I would say - their ability to carry out humanitarian missions, protective missions, training missions; they’re multi-talented. So in all those areas, there are options in which Bulgarians could make a good showing.
Q: What stage have negotiations now got to with regard to the use of Bulgarian bases by the US, and how do you respond to those critics who say that allowing the US to use bases here would increase the risk of a terrorist strike?
A: We’re currently in the process of negotiating with the Bulgarian side on the use by American forces of Bulgarian bases - they will remain Bulgarian bases, they won’t be US bases. Our negotiating team, in fact, is arriving today (November 15) for another round of talks with the Bulgarian side. We don’t have any timetable for when we want these negotiations to wrap up. They will be (completed) when both sides are happy with an agreement that makes clear that the access to the bases is in full accordance with Bulgarian law, including environmental law, I should add, because I know that there is some concern on that score - and we’ll be there when we’re there. The talks are proceeding in very open fashion, and I think the more that the Bulgarian people learn about what is being discussed in terms of access to the bases, the less they’ll be concerned about what’s actually going to happen, because this partnership, this alliance we have with Bulgaria, means that Bulgaria has the opportunity to train with, to have exposure to the American military, and it strengthens the overall partnership. With regard to the suggestion that somehow this might increase the danger of a terrorist attack in Bulgaria, terrorists can attack anywhere they want - anywhere in the world; we have seen that, unfortunately, with distressing regularity. We are not going to do anything that would increase Bulgaria’s susceptibility to a terrorist attack. I think it’s only natural that by virtue of the training that’s going to go on in these bases that Bulgaria will be more capable to deal with any sort of terrorist activity, whether it’s within Bulgaria or outside.
Q: What’s your assessment of risk of terrorist activity within Bulgaria?
A: That’s an interesting question. I don’t think that we’ve seen any acts that you could unambiguously term as terrorist acts in Bulgaria for quite some time now. On that basis, we’d have to judge that the background level here is low. But the risk of terrorism is always with us, and the important thing is, do we see Bulgarian law enforcement and security organisations ready to deal with the threats? And here I can tell you that the answer is yes. Because we work very closely with Bulgarian security forces and military, and we have no doubt that they are ready to deal with any eventuality.
Q: What is your interpretation of this morning’s (November 15) decision by the supreme court in Tripoli (regarding the appeal by the Bulgarian medics against their death sentences), and secondly, do you see as feasible a diplomatic resolution to this case?
A: First, you have to say that your heart just goes out to the Bulgarian nurses and their families. None of us can understand what they go through with each turn of this long-running saga. I think the important thing is that the US, Bulgaria, the EU and Libya have been in discussions about a resolution to this long-running tragic occurrence. The decision of the court today to postpone ruling a verdict on the sentences will give more time for those discussions to continue and, we hope, to lead to a favourable outcome so that the nurses can come home and be reunited with their families, and the needs of the Libyan children who are infected with AIDS also be dealt with appropriately.
Q: The most recent European Commission report on Bulgaria named, among the serious issues of concern, organised crime. What would you like to see now Bulgaria doing in concrete terms to actually deal with this problem?
A: I don’t think I would say much that you wouldn’t find in the EC report on this. America and the EU coincide here. Bulgaria needs to build a modern, accountable judicial system in which justice is predictable, swift, and is carried out in a method that reflects the modern practices of the European states. It’s not unusual that states like Bulgaria, which are still in transition, to one degree or another, from their past, find that the judicial system is sometimes the hardest to reform. Bulgaria is not alone in this. It takes a great deal of technical expertise on the part of law enforcement organs, but even more importantly, it takes political will to push through laws and tough decisions, especially with regard to implementation of laws, that will result in both criminals and corrupt officials being brought to justice. These are extremely difficult, sensitive issues for any society to have to deal with. It takes a lot of nerve, frankly, to do this. Our hope is, now that Bulgaria has a broad coalition Government that enjoys a very comfortable majority of seats in Parliament allowing it to pass laws, that this will give it the basis and the political will to make some of the tough decisions that are going to have to be made in the next six months, to show the outside world, to show the Europeans and the US, that, yes, this time there is going to be a serious effort to get on top of the crime and corruption problem.
Q: Looking at current developments, such as Operation Respect, the other arrests, are you encouraged by what you see?
A: Well, we are certainly encouraged that there is a lot of activity, and there seems to be recognition that now is the time to deal with this problem that has really plagued Bulgaria for the past 10 years. Whether these efforts are going to bear fruit in the end, but hopefully they will - we are working very closely at the operational level with security and police authorities to help them, to give them the tools they need to deal with some of these problems. I am optimistic that this time we shall see a difference.
Q: Since your arrival here, what concerns have been raised with you in conversations by US expatriates and business people about living and working in Bulgaria, and how have you responded to those concerns?
A: One issue that I have heard a fair amount about from expatriate American businessmen is double taxation. It’s an issue that I took up even before I came out here, in briefings that I had with the US treasury department. I know that it was also discussed in President Purvanov’s meetings in Washington, with a view to moving forward with the process, and as we understand it now, the Bulgarian Parliament needs to pass a law which would grant the Government greater access to banking and tax records. The US government is ready to begin negotiations with the Bulgarian side on the tax treaty very early in the near future, but the completion of a double tax treaty cannot happen until that law is passed granting the Bulgarian Government greater access to tax and banking records.
Q: What further opportunities do you see here for US investment?
A: I think that the opportunities for American business, American trade and investment here are definitely growing. We saw a lot of interest sparked by President Purvanov’s visit to the US, and on the heels of that, there is at least one big project which will certainly come to fruition next year, and that is the construction of the Maritza Istok 1 thermal power generating plant. As we understand it, the AES firm, based in Arlington, Virginia, now pretty much has the financing that it needs, and will be working closely with the Bulgarian Government to make sure that all of the environmental and regional access okays that AES needs to have are in hand so that they can actually break ground. The energy sector in Bulgaria, especially the power generating sector, is one that’s been highlighted by President Purvanov as a main priority for the country’s economic growth and I think that both Kozlodui and Belene will both be opportunities for American investors in terms of the kinds of upgrades that are needed to help those two plants generate the kind of electricity that will keep Bulgaria as a strong exporter of energy in this region.
Q: The visa regime between the US and Bulgaria: How optimistic should Bulgarians be about some kind of eased visa arrangement between the two countries?
A: We’re committed to an easing of the visa regime here as a long-term goal, but I have to emphasise, ‘long-term’ because there are a lot of steps that have to be taken before we’ll be at that end-stage. We have a Bulgarian-American working group on visa issues which is working through a plan of steps that the Bulgarian side needs to undertake in order to qualify for an easing of the visa regime or a visa waiver programme, but you have to remember that the visa waiver regime is not actually taking on many new countries in the wake of 9/11. There are calls, in fact, to shut down the visa waiver programme for countries that have it already. The other thing that we need to remember, and that Bulgarians need to keep in mind, is that there are still too many Bulgarians who request visas to go to the US for tourism who end up staying to work. That’s an economic reality, unfortunately, as Bulgaria becomes more prosperous, as the median incomes here increase, and there’s more opportunity in the country, that the number of Bulgarians doing that will decrease, but right now 25 per cent of Bulgarians who apply for visas to go to the US for tourism reasons simply don’t qualify - they can’t overcome the presumption that they may be intending to stay to work or immigrate. Until that percentage comes down significantly, talk about visa waiver or any significant easing of the visa regime is premature.
