site.btaForeign Minister Gabriel Calls for Foreign Policy Strategy of Bulgaria

Speaking at a conference here on Thursday, Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel said that Bulgaria needs a foreign policy strategy. "The Bulgarian government, state institutions, political and civil leaders should unite in our common responsibility to do more and make it better so that we can protect democracy and our citizens can prosper," she told the forum. The conference, hosted by Gabriel, was themed, "Multipolar World and Foreign Policy Strategy: Challenges and Prospective for Bulgaria".

She went on to say that such a public document on foreign policy would also be a strong public expression of Bulgaria's fundamental values, principles, and norms that determine the country's goals and priorities in international relations. "They also serve the task to determine us as a confident and reliable partner," she added. In her words, these principles and values are not new and stem from Bulgaria's desire dating back 30 years to join the European family.

Gabriel noted that at the Munich Security Conference, which took place two weeks ago, the world leaders shared their deep concern over the negative trends and geopolitical fragmentation domineering world politics at the moment. There is also a widespread assessment that humanity is in a critical decade marked by growing competition, rivalry, attempts at disputing and reconsidering the international legal agenda based on the UN Charter, Gabriel said. International relations and cooperation face complex challenges of an urgent and unpredictable nature. The architecture of global security, based on multilateral treaties, is seriously destabilised, while the institutions created within the UN system are suffering criticism, Gabriel said. "We face an increasingly multipolar environment marked by trust deficits, overlapping forces and tensions," she argued. 

Gabriel recalled that on the eastern side of Europe, the full-scale invasion and illegal aggressive war  launched by the Moscow regime against a sovereign and democratic Ukraine marked two years. "Despite all the heroic efforts of the Ukrainian people, the strong and unwavering support that we will all continue to give, we see that Putin's ruthless regime chooses to continue to wage this war in complete disregard of international law and loss of life," the Foreign Minister noted. Gabriel said that the military conflict and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, in Gaza, also threatens peace and security. She called for not forgetting challenges such as the spread of fake news, propaganda, disinformation, hybrid and cyber attacks. 

As a member of the EU and NATO, Bulgaria has its clear positions: freedom, democracy, human rights, peace and security cannot be taken for granted, they must be defended every day. "That is why, together with our allies and partners, Bulgaria needs a clear national position on violating international law, respecting human values and ensuring a more sustainable future for young generations," Gabriel stressed. "The foreign policy strategy can be compared to a bridge of communication with the world around us to better tackle challenges, side by side with our partners," the Minister said.