The first official visit abroad of the new president of Bulgaria Rumen Radev ended yesterday. It did not take place in Washington or Moscow. The Head of State chose the Belgian capital Brussels, the heart of the EU and NATO to disperse doubts that arose during his election campaign over his pro-Russian orientation.

Speaking at meetings and rallies during the election campaign last year, Radev declared on various occasions and with varying degrees of explicitness that sanctions against Moscow were harmful for politics and the economy of the EU and that they should be lifted as soon as possible. However, Bulgarian President nuanced his position by saying that the issue was not on the agenda and sanctions should remain the same. Ultimately, Radev decided to keep low and wait, following the example of the European Commission, expecting the final word on the subject from the new US president Donald Trump.

In Brussels Rumen Radev held four important political meetings - with EC President Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Council Donald Tusk, European Parliament President Antonio Tajani and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. During the talks, the Bulgarian President toned down that anti-Russian rhetoric of his predecessor, Rosen Plevneliev, who during his five-year mandate defined Russia almost as an "evil empire," a term from time of the Cold War.

On the other hand Rumen Radev confirmed the position of Sofia for unconditional belonging to the EU and NATO, as well as its solidarity in the fight against international terrorism. But the Bulgarian President also said that boosting the defence potential of NATO must go hand in hand with a deepening of dialogue with Russia in order to avoid confrontation and misunderstanding.

Another focus of the talks in Brussels was the Bulgarian position on the migrant wave to Europe. Once again he said it was time for revision of the Dublin agreement since there was a risk to EU countries with external borders to become buffers zone and ghettos for migrants. Bulgaria is one of those countries.

A week ago, President Rumen Radev refuted doubts that as president elected with the support of the opposition Socialist Party, he would form a “red” caretaker government. He secured internal political comfort by appointing a cabinet composed mostly of experts from UDF and NDSV, who have not been seen soon on the political stage. The cabinet is headed by Prime Minister Gerdzhikov. The headquarters of theBulgarian Socialist Party have remained silent over the topic. Through his visit to Brussels Radev secured foreign comfort claiming loyalty to the Euro-Atlantic values. Observers assessed these two moves of the President as wise and prescient.

However, we should not forget that Bulgaria is a parliamentary and not a presidential republic. The words of the president are important but not decisive and the country's policy will be decided by the future parliament and government after the early elections on March 26. So, the first official visit to Brussels of the newly elected Bulgarian president is important, but not decisive for the foreign policy of this country.

English: Alexander Markov