Bulgarian President Rossen Plevneliev will visit Ukraine soon. This transpired after he met with the newly-elected President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko at a summit in Warsaw, dedicated to the 25^th anniversary since the start of democratic change in Central and Eastern Europe. The visit is part of a bilateral dialogue that has continued, in spite of the dramatic Ukrainian crisis.

Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin paid a visit to Kiev in March. At a meeting he had with the then acting President Oleksandr Turchinov, Bulgaria’s foreign minister welcomed his refusal to sign the decision by the Supreme Rada of Ukraine to abolish the law "On the principles of the state language policy" in the country. One month earlier, the Bulgarian government expressed discontent with the decision of the new Ukrainian administration to amend the law on state language policy, adopted by Viktor Yanukovych, by force of which Russian is given a regional language status, but also Bulgarian in the regions with a minority population of over 10 percent. This means that in some parts of Bessarabia, where there are compact Bulgarian communities – Izmayil, Artsyz and Bolgrad – Bulgarian is considered a regional language. The radicals in Ukraine even demanded the incrimination of the public use of Russian. According to lawyers as well as diplomats this would affect other non-Ukrainian languages.

This issue will certainly be in the focus of attention during President Plevneliev’s forthcoming visit as well. At the meeting between the two in Warsaw Petro Poroshenko undertook, after his inauguration, to take the rights of Bulgarians there very seriously and to seek a solution, based on European values and standards. Poroshenko has a close bond with the Bulgarian community in Ukraine and closed his election campaign in Bolgrad.

Whereas in March Foreign Minister Vigenin had talks in Kiev with the acting President, now President Plevneliev will be meeting with an elected head of state, treated with much respect by Moscow, a man the world is looking to for a normalization of the situation in the country.

The visit by Rossen Plevneliev to Ukraine comes at a time when, because of the crisis, Bulgaria’s trade with that country has shrunk by 50-70 percent, reducing overall exports considerably.

Ukraine is among Bulgaria’s chief trading partner and that is a big problem. Without doubt this will be a main talking point during the Presidential visit as well. An issue that is particularly delicate – Russian gas supplies to Bulgaria via Ukrainian territory – will probably be another item on President Plevneliev’s agenda. The visit’s programme is yet to be finalized but even now expectations are running high.

English version: Milena Daynova