Bulgaria–Greece relations

Bulgaria–Greece relations refer to bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Greece.

Bulgarian–Greek relations

Greece
Bulgaria
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of Greece, SofiaEmbassy of Bulgaria, Athens

Due to the strong political, cultural and religious ties between the two nations, (the majority of Bulgarians and Greeks practice the Eastern Orthodox faith), Greece and Bulgaria today enjoy excellent diplomatic relations[1][2][3][4][5] and consider each other a friendly nation.[6][7]

Greece is a strong supporter of Bulgaria's Euro-Atlantic integration and entry to the Schengen Area. Bulgaria and Greece share common political views about the Balkans, the enlargement plans of the European Union and the rest of the world, with the first being a supporter of the latter's stance on the Macedonia Naming Dispute. Modern relations between the two countries were established in 1908 and are regarded as excellent despite Axis occupation of Greece along with Germany and Italy during World War II.

History
King George I of Greece visits the Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand in the headquarters of the Bulgarian army in the city of Thessaloniki during the latter's visit there during the First Balkan War.
The Hellenic Navy band participating in the Army Day parade in Sofia in 2009
Second Upper Cooperation Council between Greece and Bulgaria in December 2012.

The common heritage of both nations played a significant role in the close relations between the two countries, ever since the Medieval Ages, between Southern Slavs and Byzantine Greeks (the Byzantine Empire played a prominent role in spreading of the Orthodox Christianity to Bulgaria and the rest of the Balkans). The missionaries Cyril and Methodius from the city of Thessalonica were the founders of the Glagolitic Alphabet and the first literary language of the Slavs, from which the modern Bulgarian Language evolved.

In the late 14th century - early 15th century, both Bulgaria and Greece came under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries. During this period the Bulgarian Patriarchate was abolished and the Greek Patriarch of Constantinople was declared by the Ottoman Sultan as the spiritual leader of all the Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire, regardless of their ethnicity. In the 19th century the Bulgarians began a struggle for the restoration of an independent Bulgarian church, which was met with stiff opposition by the Constantinople Patriarchy. While the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was restored in 1872, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, refused to recognize it until much later, in 1945, and especially after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the end of the Balkan & World Wars.

In the earlier 20th century the relations were affected by periods of intense mutual hostility. Since Bulgaria's independence in 1908, Greece and Bulgaria took part in three major wars in opposite coalitions, the Second Balkan War (although they were allies at the First Balkan War), the First World War and the Second World War, plus the Cold War, and they even fought a "Stray dog war" in 1925.

After the Second World War, the relations between Greece and Bulgaria have been flourishing, and as the Greek President Konstantinos Tsatsos said during the Bulgarian leader Todor Zhivkov's visit to Athens in April 1976, "the old controversies have been forgotten and the hatchet buried forever".[8] Greece became a firm supporter of Bulgaria’s EU membership and was the fifth EU member state and the first old member state to ratify the Accession Treaty.[1] Since Bulgaria joined NATO in May 2004, Greek-Bulgarian relations have been developing on all fronts, and the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes relations between Greece and Bulgaria as "excellent".[1]

In 2018, declassified documents of the Communist Bulgaria revealed a plan to foment crisis between Turkey and Greece in 1971. The operation codenamed "Cross" and the plan was that Bulgarian secret agents would set fire on the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and make it look like the work of Turks. The declassified documents state that “An intervention” in the religious entity would have “significantly damage[d] Turkish-Greek relations and force[d] the United States to choose one side in the ensuing crisis,”. In addition, the Bulgarians also planned to boost the effect of its operation against Greece and Turkey by conducting “active measures" “for putting the enemy in a position of delusion." The plan was developed by the 7th Department of the First Main Directorate of the DS (intelligence and secret police services of communist Bulgaria), and was affirmed by Deputy Head of the Directorate on November 16, 1970, and approved by its Head. The operation was supposed to be prepared by the middle of 1971 and then executed, but it was abandoned.[9][10]

Bilateral relations and cooperation
Greek Foreign Minister Stavros Dimas and Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov.
Official visit of Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev in Greece when Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos met at the Foreign Ministry, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov in July 2012.

Diplomatic relations were established in 1908. Bulgaria has an embassy in Athens and Greece has an embassy in Sofia. Greece is the top investor and one of Bulgaria's main trade partners. Both states are co-operating in many fields, such as political, judicial, energy and tourism. There are regular high-level visits between the two countries, and frequent contacts between the two countries' governments and the local authorities on various matters concerning individual sectors, such as the control of flow of the Maritsa River (also known as Evros) of which the overflow during times of strong rainfall, threatens the towns and villages in the regions it flows through. Big projects currently in running between the two countries include the touristic development and the gas pipelines. Official meetings between the two governments and the Presidents of the State are frequent and the armies of both states cooperate and are co-training in a regular basis as part of the NATO training programme.

Educational cooperation

Greek and Bulgarian university professors created the "Hellenic Educational Association of Sofia" after the collapse of Communism in Bulgaria, which assists the Bulgarian students who learn Greek. Also the "Federation of Cultural and Educational Associations of Karakatsani of Bulgaria" helps the 15,000 Karakatsani Greeks in receiving education on Greek language and culture.[11] There are more than 2,000 Greek university students in Bulgaria, which constitutes one of the largest groups of foreign university students in Bulgaria.[12]

Names

In the Greek language, Bulgaria is called Βουλγαρία (Vulgharia) and the Bulgarians are called Βούλγαροι (Vulghari). In the Bulgarian language, Greece is called Гърция (Gartsiya) and the Greeks are called Гърци (Gartsi).

Diasporas
Karakacan Greeks in Kotel, Bulgaria.
The Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki in Thessaloniki, operated from 1880 to 1913.
Greek language Zariphios School in Plovdiv, operated from 1875 to 1906.

Historically, there have been sizable Greek and Bulgarian communities in the territories which form present day Bulgaria and Greece respectively. These communities today are significantly decreased due to the population exchanges between Greece and Bulgaria which were directed under the Treaty of Neuilly in 1919.[13]

In 1900, Greeks were about 80,000 (2% of the Bulgarian population) and despite its small size the minority was prominent in the commercial activities and visible in the cultural life.[14]

According to the 2001 census, there were 35,104 Bulgarian citizens in Greece,[15] constituting 4,7% of all foreigners in Greece. However, that number has risen since then, as in 2003-2004, Bulgarians accounted for 9,8% of residence permit holders in Greece, out of which 473 were students and 2,059 were married to EU nationals.[16] In the academic year 2002-2003, there were 2,873 non-ethnic Greek citizens of Bulgaria in Greek state schools.[16] There are numerous publications in Greece for the Bulgarian community, including the bilingual newspaper България днес/Βουλγαρία σήμερα (Bulgaria today).

According to the 2001 census, there were 3,408 Greeks in Bulgaria.[17] This figure most likely includes, former political refugees, remnants of the population exchanges, students, and businessmen and their families. In addition, there were 4,108 Karakatsani[18]

Official visits

Greece and Bulgaria regularly exchange visits of senior dignitaries and officials. Notable official visits include:

  • The President of Bulgaria Georgi Parvanov to Greece (05-07/11/2003)
  • Working visit by Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Sakskoburggotski to Athens (31/10-01/11/2002) and attendance at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony (13-17/08/2004).
  • The President of the Hellenic Republic, Kostis Stephanopoulos to Bulgaria (11-13/10/2004)
  • Meeting between the two Presidents in Thessaloniki (11/04/05)
  • Working visits by Foreign Minister, Petros Molyviatis, accompanied by Deputy Foreign Ministers Valinakis and Stylianidis to Sofia (16/11/2004) confirm the excellent level of bilateral relations.
  • The Greek President, Karolos Papoulias, met with his Bulgarian counterpart, Georgi Purvanov, in Thessaloniki (11/4/2005), immediately upon taking office, and visited Bulgaria within the framework of the Regional Forum on Cultural Corridors in Southeast Europe, which took place in Varna (20-21/5/2005).
  • Public Order Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis paid a two-day visit to the country (19-20/5/2005) at the invitation of Bulgarias Minister of the Interior at the time, G. Petkanov.
  • The President of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev to Greece (4–5 July 2012)
  • The Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov to Greece (17 December 2012)[19]

Treaties
Dimitrios Droutsas visit to Greek Educational Center in Sofia in December 2012

The main Inter-State Agreements signed over the past 15 years are as follows:

  • Avoidance of Double Taxation on Income and Capital (Athens, 15/2/1991)
  • Police Cooperation (covering clandestine immigration, terrorism, organised crime, and police training) (Athens, 8/7/1991)
  • Cooperation between Ministries of Defence and Armed Forces (Athens, 28/11/1991)
  • Agreement on Seasonal Workers (Athens, 15/12/1995)
  • Agreement on the Waters of the River Nestos (Sofia 22/12/1995)
  • Agreement on the Opening of Three New Border Posts and Arterial Road Links between the two countries (Sofia 22/12/1995)
  • Military and Technical Cooperation (March 1998)
  • Scientific, Educational and Cultural Agreement (Sofia 12/6/2002) (in application of Article 13 of the Bilateral Cultural Agreement (Athens, 31/05/1973)
  • Five-Year Development Cooperation Agreement within the framework of the HIBERB (development Aid to Bulgaria of 54,29 million euros) (28/08/2002)
  • Bilateral Environmental Protection Agreement (Athens, 01/11/2002)
  • Aviation Agreement (Athens, 01/11/2002)
  • Scientific and Technological Cooperation Protocol (Athens, December 2002)

Country comparison
Bulgaria Greece
Population 7,000,039 10,815,016
Area 110,993.6 km² (42,823 sq mi) 131,990 km2 (50,944sq mi)
Population Density 64.9 /km² (185 /sq mi) 85.3/km² (221/sq mi)
Capital Sofia Athens
Largest City Sofia - 1,238,438 (1,681,592 Metro) Athens - 3,074,160 (3,737,550 Metro)
Government Parliamentary republic Parliamentary republic
Current leader President Rumen Radev
Prime Minister Boyko Borisov		 President Katerina Sakellaropoulou
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Official languages Bulgarian Greek
Main religions 82.64% Eastern Orthodox Christians, 12.20% Islam, 0.55%
Catholic Christians, 0.53% Protestant Christians, 0.19% Other, 3.57%
Does not self-identify,
0.31% Not shown		 98% Christians, 1.3% Muslims, 0.7% Others
Ethnic groups 84% Bulgarians, 9% Turkish, 5% Roma and 2%
other groups		 93.76% Greeks, 4.32% Albanians, 0.39% Bulgarians,
0.23% Romanians, 0.18% Ukrainians, 0.14% Pakistani,
0.12% Russians, 0.12% Georgians, 0.09% Indians, 0.65% Others
GDP (nominal) $64.962 billion ($9,267 per capita) $303.065 billion ($27,073 per capita)

Diplomacy

Embassies

The Embassy of Bulgaria is located in Athens. The Embassy of Greece is located in Sofia.

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See also

References
  1. Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Bilateral relations between Greece and Bulgaria Archived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "The relations between Greece and Bulgaria are excellent". freemacedonia.net. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  3. "Greek-Bulgarian Relations, 1912-2006: A Historical Synopsis". balkanalysis.com. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  4. "Greece and Bulgaria: Celebrating 60 Years of Diplomatic Relations 1954-2014". eu.greekreporter.com. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  5. "Meeting of Kyriakos Mitsotakis - Foreign Minister of Bulgaria: The focus is on the pandemic and the East. Mediterranean (Original: Συνάντηση Κυρ. Μητσοτάκη - ΥΠΕΞ Βουλγαρίας: Στο επίκεντρο η πανδημία και η Ανατ. Μεσόγειος)". Kathimerini. Retrieved 27 July 2020. The Prime Minister [Kyriakos Mitsotakis] noted that the visit of Mrs [Ekaterina] Zakharieva reaffirms the very strong ties between the two countries.
  6. "Greek-Bulgarian Relations: Present State and Future Challenges". academia.edu. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  7. "Bulgarian President Radev responds to Erdoğan: 'Bulgaria does not give or accept lessons on democracy'". sofiaglobe.com. Retrieved 25 March 2017. Radev: “I’m here to respect the national holiday, of our neighbour, partner and friend Greece – the homeland of democracy.”
  8. Bulgaria and its neighbours: a hundred years after independence Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine
  9. COMMUNIST BULGARIA’S INTELLIGENCE PLOTTED GREECE – TURKEY CONFLICT BY SETTING ON FIRE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE OF CONSTANTINOPLE, SECRET FILES REVEAL
  10. Report: Communist-era Bulgaria plotted to burn Greek patriarchate
  11. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2011-08-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Greece's Bilateral Relations". Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  13. R., J. (1944). "The Exchange of Minorities and Transfers of Population in Europe since 1919—I". Bulletin of International News. 21 (15): 579–588. JSTOR 25643653.
  14. Dragostinova, T. (2008). Speaking National: Nationalizing the Greeks of Bulgaria, 1900-1939. Slavic Review, 67(1), 154-181. doi:10.2307/27652772
  15. Πληθυσμός κατά υπηκοότητα και φύλο Σύνολο Ελλάδος, αστικές και αγροτικές περιοχές: Απογραφή πληθυσμού της 18ης Μαρτίου 2001 Archived September 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  16. Hellenic Migration Policy Institute (ΙΜΕΠΟ): statistical data on immigrants in Greece Archived 2006-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
  17. Republic of Bulgaria: National Statistical Institute: 2001 census
  18. "Национален съвет за сътрудничество по етническите и интеграционните въпроси". Archived from the original on 2017-08-24. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  19. "FOCUS Information Agency". Retrieved 8 April 2016.
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