Bulgarian Foreign Minister’s Visit to Washington, 
June 15 - 18, 1997

Foreign Minister Nadezhda Mihailova began her meetings in Washington June 16 at a 
breakfast meeting with the Bulgarian-American Society.  She was accompanied by 
Bulgarian Ambassador Snezhana Botushrova, U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria Avis Bohlen., 
Deputy Foreign Minister Stefan Tafrov, Mr. Peter Andonov, Secretary to the President on 
Economic Issues, Mr. Kosyo Dimitrov, Director of the Department for NATO, WEU and 
Security at MFA, and Nedialka Chakalova, interpreter.

The Foreign Minister said that Bulgaria was in its second democratic transition and that 
the changes being made were irreversible.  The government has set a number of goals: 
fighting crime and corruption, streamlining the official workforce, pressing economic 
reforms, seeking NATO membership, and trying to improve Bulgaria’s image abroad.  In 
her visit to Washington, Mrs. Mihailova said that she would seek U.S. support for the new 
government’s active foreign policy.  She said that the decision to meet first with the 
Society was symbolic of the new government’s relationship and reliance on the Society to 
help change Bulgaria’s image in America.

Mrs. Mihailova said that there were no problems in relations with Bulgaria’s neighbors:  
Relations are good with Turkey and Greece, and Bulgaria hoped to solve the outstanding 
issue with Macedonia after the Madrid summit.  Relations with Russia, especially in the 
economic sphere, are also positive.  In this respect, the NATO-Russian agreement was a 
welcome development.  Responding to questions from the audience, she said that the 
government looked to the IMF and the World Bank to assist in achieving financial stability 
and structural reform.  Rapid privatization of state enterprises is a major goal.  Tax reform 
will be instituted in late 1997 or early 1998.  Bulgaria wants to open new communications 
and transportation corridors across the Balkan peninsula, from Burgas to Duress, Albania.  
Banking reform would begin in July with the introduction of the currency board.  New 
private banks would be established by late 1998.

The Foreign Minister thanked the Society for successfully lobbying to have Bulgaria 
included in the October trade mission to Eastern Europe.  The trade mission becae a more 
prominent topic in her subsequent meetings and discussions with Secretary of State 
Madeline Albright, Deputy Secretary of Defense White, with members of Congress, and 
with members of the media at the National Press Club.  At the NPC press conference, she 
stated:

“We want to change the image of Bulgaria, and we want very much to encourage 
foreign investment, particularly from the U.S.  We already have the most liberal 
laws on foreign investment in the region, but the implementing regulations and 
bureaucratic foot-dragging have discouraged investors.  The new government will  
change the regulations and even some of the laws, for example, to permit investors 
to buy the land on which a business I slocated.  We will also get rid of officials 
who were, at heart, opposed to foreign investment.

Organized crime has also deterred foreign investment, and we intend to change 
that with a vigorous anti-mafia campaign. Bulgaria is too small a country to have 
both the mafia and foreign investment, so we will get rid of the mafia.  
We very much welcome the trade mission which the U.S. Department of 
Commerce is organizing for October.  By the time they get there we hope we will 
be able to demonstrate that our laws and regulations are welcoming and 
transparent and that the mafia is gone.”