The events in the Middle East and Northern Africa are revolutions with historical significance, which remind of the events in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989. The experience of Bulgaria during the past 20 years of transition allows us to correctly analyze the situation and help our Arab partners, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov said at a round table in the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The forum, which gathered leaders from 20 different countries, was dedicated to the democratisation of the Arab world.
When in February 2011 after 2 months of turmoil Tunisian President Ben Ali was expelled, few analysts expected the domino effect that would follow. The so-called Arab Spring led to the fall of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and Ali Saleh in Yemen, as well as to a civil war in Libya and the fall of the Gadaffi’s regime. Vows for reforms in Morocco, Algeria, and Bahrain followed. The active protests against the old regimes continue, as well as the repressions against the population in a country like Syria. The position of Bulgaria on the issues is, of course, related to the country’s membership in the EU and NATO.
The Bulgarian Drazki frigate took part in the Unified Protector operation in Libya. 3 months after the end of the NATO campaign there, Minister Mladenov paid a visit to Benghazi where he met the head of the National Transitional Council Mahmoud Jibril.
This way Bulgaria showed it accepts the legitimacy of the council. During the visit to Benghazi, the case with the arrested Bulgarian medics during the regime of Gadaffi, was also discussed. The Transitional Council expects new facts to be soon revealed.
In July Minister Mladenov paid a visit to Tunisia, where he met with the Prime Minister Essebsi and Foreign Minister Kefi. The aim was to share the Bulgarian experience in order for Tunisia to avoid mistakes Bulgaria has made. Minister Mladenov has also visited Syria and Yemen in times of repressions against protesters. The EU insisted on stopping the violence and starting discussions with the opposition. This happened in Yemen but not in Syria. The Bulgarian position on the situation in Syria is that the only way out of the crisis is stopping the violence, allowing observers from the Arab League, and providing access to fair elections to the population. This is what Minister Mladenov said in Sofia at a meeting with representatives of the opposition Syrian National Council. An important aspect of the situation in the region is also the position of Israel. As an attempt to gain a status of recognized independent country, the Palestinian autonomy has filed an appeal for an UN membership. Minister Mladenov said that in such a conflict Bulgaria could have the trust of all participants, as it was a small country. Mladenov added that the good relationships with Israel were important for Bulgaria as well as the relations with the Arab countries. Bulgaria aims at increasing the economic contacts and trade with these countries.
In Sofia, a conference entitled Justice during Transition was organised in Sofia, at which a number of officials from countries in the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Eastern Europe were present. At the forum Minister Mladenov said that an important thing was to start painful changes as soon as possible. Mladenov added that the Bulgarian policy must also focus on contacts with organisations of the civic society. Discussion between Israel and the Arab world is also an aim for Bulgaria. The new policy about the region must clearly state that the regional stability in the Arab world is not a barrier to the democratic development in the region.
English: Alexander Markov
