Assisted Assertiveness. Changes in Bulgaria’s Policy Towards Russia
Assisted Assertiveness. Changes in Bulgaria’s Policy Towards Russia

Author(s): Mateusz Seroka
Subject(s): Political history, Environmental and Energy policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Political behavior, Comparative politics
Published by: OSW Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich im. Marka Karpia
Keywords: Bulgaria's policy towards Russia; International relations; Historical disputes; Energy cooperation; Security;
Summary/Abstract: The Bulgarian public and elite has a positive attitude towards Russians and Russia, in part due to the historical and cultural background. This positive perception was not weakened by the period of Soviet domination. The pro‑Russian sentiment shared by the Bulgarian public facilitated the communist coup in 1944 and the ensuing Sovietisation of the state. Nor were the democratic changes initiated at the end of 1989 the result of the democratic opposition’s successes, but were rather down to the actions taken by the reformist faction within the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP), a consequence of the decline of the USSR and the centrally planned economy model.

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