How many Times were Diplomatic Relations between Russia and Bulgaria Severed
If we look at history, there are not many cases in which relations between Bulgaria and Russia at the state level were as bad as they are at the moment.
The Silence of Bulgaria's Painful Past
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Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency)
By Milena Hristova
"Are you optimistic?", I asked two years ago a colleague of mine, who had done solid research into the accessible files of the former state security service. "No," was his terse reply.
Nor am I, now that Bulgaria's parliament is adopting the provisions of the bill on the access to and declassification of secret services files of Bulgarian citizens. Not only because of the obvious pressure to leave loopholes in the law. But also because of the hundreds of "buts" that mar the process. The "buts" that make it highly improbable that justice will rule at the end of the day and light will be shed on the system of political dictatorship, the money transferred abroad, the initial accumulation of capital and the first steps of organized crime.
Firstly, justice could rule only if the archives were fully accessible. And this is not possible, unless they have been copied and sent away, to Moscow for instance. It is well known that a large-scale destruction of the archives occurred in the first half of 1990. Witnesses, including politicians, have talked of that, as well as of the black market for disgraceful CVs. What has been left can hardly be trusted as the files have so far been used for nothing but churning out discrediting "facts".
Secondly, the release of the files is hopelessly late and will hardly impact any of the political parties. The procedure could have had a healing effect on Bulgaria's painful past only if the timing was right. As with any other disease.
"Are you optimistic?", I asked two years ago a colleague of mine, who had done solid research into the accessible files of the former state security service. "No," was his terse reply.
Nor am I, now that Bulgaria's parliament is adopting the provisions of the bill on the access to and declassification of secret services files of Bulgarian citizens. Not only because of the obvious pressure to leave loopholes in the law. But also because of the hundreds of "buts" that mar the process. The "buts" that make it highly improbable that justice will rule at the end of the day and light will be shed on the system of political dictatorship, the money transferred abroad, the initial accumulation of capital and the first steps of organized crime.
Firstly, justice could rule only if the archives were fully accessible. And this is not possible, unless they have been copied and sent away, to Moscow for instance. It is well known that a large-scale destruction of the archives occurred in the first half of 1990. Witnesses, including politicians, have talked of that, as well as of the black market for disgraceful CVs. What has been left can hardly be trusted as the files have so far been used for nothing but churning out discrediting "facts".
Secondly, the release of the files is hopelessly late and will hardly impact any of the political parties. The procedure could have had a healing effect on Bulgaria's painful past only if the timing was right. As with any other disease.
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