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.
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Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia News Agency)
By Milena Hristova
Say what you like about Bulgaria's coupling with Romania, the alternative would have been worse. In a raid of Bulgarian high-level visits to Brussels last week, the Belgian capital saw the senior prosecutor making generous promises, followed by Sofia mayor's sobering confession that "it is still a mess here." Meanwhile Adrian Nastase, Romania's former prime minister, resigned from his posts after becoming the highest-ranking Romanian official probed by anti-corruption prosecutors. Until last week I took it as a sign of poor taste how Sofia and Bucharest used the tacitly declared race between them as a tool for self-advertisement. I argued it would be a much more useful exercise if they compare their "rule of law" to that in Hungary and Poland, rather than give in to the Balkan fondness for swagger and verbal bravado... But now, after the smell of fried corrupted fish is in the air in Romania, the comparison with Bulgaria is inevitable. Not to our advantage at that. You may say Romania's anti-corruption campaign is done more to highlight than to eradicate corruption and nepotism. Could be right. But while Bulgaria is anxious to receive good opinions in the waiting room of the European Union, Bulgarian politicians and journalists could take a cue from their neighboring colleagues. Topics about corrupted "big and small fish" may be more important than bird flu and floods hysterics. If we are to believe Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev, criminals and corruption-charged MPs, should be hitting the headlines in Bulgaria this week.
Say what you like about Bulgaria's coupling with Romania, the alternative would have been worse. In a raid of Bulgarian high-level visits to Brussels last week, the Belgian capital saw the senior prosecutor making generous promises, followed by Sofia mayor's sobering confession that "it is still a mess here." Meanwhile Adrian Nastase, Romania's former prime minister, resigned from his posts after becoming the highest-ranking Romanian official probed by anti-corruption prosecutors. Until last week I took it as a sign of poor taste how Sofia and Bucharest used the tacitly declared race between them as a tool for self-advertisement. I argued it would be a much more useful exercise if they compare their "rule of law" to that in Hungary and Poland, rather than give in to the Balkan fondness for swagger and verbal bravado... But now, after the smell of fried corrupted fish is in the air in Romania, the comparison with Bulgaria is inevitable. Not to our advantage at that. You may say Romania's anti-corruption campaign is done more to highlight than to eradicate corruption and nepotism. Could be right. But while Bulgaria is anxious to receive good opinions in the waiting room of the European Union, Bulgarian politicians and journalists could take a cue from their neighboring colleagues. Topics about corrupted "big and small fish" may be more important than bird flu and floods hysterics. If we are to believe Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev, criminals and corruption-charged MPs, should be hitting the headlines in Bulgaria this week.
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