Foreign relations of Bulgaria

The foreign relations of Bulgaria are overseen by the Ministry of Foreign Relations headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Situated in Southeast Europe, Bulgaria is a member of both NATO (since 2004) and the European Union (since 2007).^[1] It maintains diplomatic relations with 183 countries.^[2]

Bulgaria has generally good foreign relations with its neighbours and has proved to be a constructive force in the region ^{[citation needed]} under socialist and democratic governments alike. Promoting regional stability, Bulgaria hosted a Southeast European Foreign Ministers meeting in July 1996, and an OSCE conference on Black Sea cooperation in November 1995. Bulgaria also participated in the 1996 South Balkan Defense Ministerial in Albania and it is active in the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative. Since the group's inception in 2015 Bulgaria has been a part of the B9 format, a subset of Eastern European NATO countries. The Republic of North Macedonia plays an important role in Bulgarian foreign and domestic policy due to historical, ethnic and cultural ties.^{[citation needed]}

^ Bechev, Dimitar (2020-07-20). "Living on the Periphery: Bulgaria's Geopolitics Reconsidered". Southeastern Europe. 44 (2): 157–176. doi:10.30965/18763332-04402003. ISSN 0094-4467. S2CID 225573088.
^ Cite error: The named reference :45 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] Bechev, Dimitar (2020-07-20). "Living on the Periphery: Bulgaria's Geopolitics Reconsidered". Southeastern Europe. 44 (2): 157–176. doi:10.30965/18763332-04402003. ISSN 0094-4467. S2CID 225573088.

[:45-2] Cite error: The named reference :45 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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