Radio Bulgaria

The foreign ministers of Bulgaria, Poland and Sweden – Nikolay Mladenov, Radoslav Shikorski and Carl Bildt, have arrived on an official visit in Lebanon and Iraq this week. Both Lebanon and Iraq have a common border with Syria whose internal conflict is growing and there is a risk it might go outside its national border and affect neighboring countries. The visit is made amidst a very delicate political situation as the authorities in Lebanon and Iraq have divergent positions on the conflict in Syria.
The task of the three EU foreign ministers is to discuss the situation in the region, focusing on the events in Syria as well as on opportunities for cooperation between these two Near East countries and the EU. The visit was agreed with the Higher Representative of EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Catherine Ashton and the three EU ministers are proponents of her message, which is an indication of high trust.
The participation of Bulgaria’s foreign minister in this visit actively engages Bulgaria with the development of the ties between the EU and Lebanon and Iraq a well as with the peace-keeping efforts in the Near East. The invitation to Nikolay Mladenov to take part in the mission might also be explained with the fact that during his mandate Bulgaria’s ties with Arab countries have been reinforced. What is more, the participation of Mladenov in the visit of EU ministers to Lebanon and Iraq offers Bulgarian diplomacy another asset. This is an opportunity for reinvigorating the bilateral ties between Bulgaria and these two Near East countries. The latest political contacts with Lebanon date back to December 2010 when PM Boyko Borissov arrived in Beirut to meet President Michel Sleiman. The contacts with Iraq are very difficult because of the security situation there and Bulgaria virtually has no operational embassy in Baghdad. During the talks of the three EU foreign ministers in Beirut and Baghdad, Nikolay Mladenov will be able to work also on boosting the bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Lebanon and Iraq.