Възстановяване на дипломатическите отношения между България и Гърция след Втората световна война
Resumption of Diplomatic Relations between Bulgaria and Greece after the Second World War

Summary/Abstract: The resumption of Bulgaria’s diplomatic relation with Greece was one of the difficult problems of Bulgarian foreign policy after the Second World War. The cause was that its solution was conditioned not only by factors of Bulgarian-Greek relations but that this problem was embodied in the intricate complex of the bloc policy of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Albania towards Greece in the 1946–1949 period, and was also actively influenced by the United Nations and its bodies. The proclamation of a Provisional Democratic Government over one-fourth of the territory of Greece, controlled by the Greek guerrillas, compelled the Athens government to normalize diplomatic relations with the communist neighbours of Greece so as to prevent them from recognizing the government of General Markos. The hopes for a “complete victory of the democratic forces in Greece” determined the interest of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Albania in slowing down the signing of agreements on improving relations with Greece (diplomatic relations included) in the negotiations in the UN Conciliation Committee set up at the Third UN Session, while the co-Ordinated stand that the reaching of agreement between Greece and Albania with the categorical recognition of the existing Greek-Albanian frontier was a condition also for the signing of Bulgarian-Greek and Yugoslav-Greek accords, doomed to failure the missions of the two Conciliation Committees of the Third and Fourth Sessions of the UN General Assembly. The successful work of the Bulgarian-Greek Frontier Commission in the summer of 1953 created a situation for the stat also of talks on the resumption of diplomatic relations. The central problem in the discussions at the Bulgarian-Greek negotiations held in Paris from November 16, 1953 to May 22, 1954 was the demand of the Greek side prior to the resumption of diplomatic relations to have an agreement signed on the procedure of the payment of reparations. The Bulgarian position was that such an agreement should take into account also the Bulgarian financial counter-claims towards Greece and should be concluded after the resumption of diplomatic relations. By the joint Bulgarian-Greek declaration signed on May 22, 1954 diplomatic relations were restored with effect as from the same date. In June and July 1954 charges d’affairs were accredited at the legations in Athens and Sofia. The complete normalization of Bulgarian-Greek diplomatic relation - the appointment of ministers plenipotentiary took place ten years later, though. The reason for this was that the Greek government raised as an indispensable condition for the full normalization of diplomatic relations the conclusion of the agreement, envisaged in the declaration of May 22, 1954, on the payment of the reparations under the Peace Treaty and which could not be agreed upon up to 1964.

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