As an eastern Balkan state, Bulgaria has tactfully aligned itself with hegemonic powers, including the Ottoman, German and Soviet empires, throughout its tumultuous history. Bulgaria’s London Embassy wrote, “Bulgaria has proved to be a constructive force in the region under socialist and democratic governments alike,” thanks to its strategic relations with neighboring countries.

Following the fall of the Eastern Bloc in November 1989, Bulgaria became part of greater Europe by adopting parliamentary democracy and a free market economy. In 2004, it joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization along with Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

This year marks Bulgaria’s 10th anniversary of NATO membership. The Bulgarian Embassy, in collaboration with the Korea Foundation and the Korean Culture Association, hosted the exhibition “Bulgaria: 10 Years in NATO,” to take stock of its regional peacekeeping and peacemaking commitments.

Photographs provided by the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense and National Military History Museum showed the country’s participation in NATO-led missions, training and negotiation processes over the last 10 years.

“Our NATO membership is a fundamental foreign policy priority and a key factor in ensuring our security and sovereignty,” Bulgarian Ambassador to Korea Petar Andanov said in a speech at the Korea Foundation Cultural Center Gallery in Seoul on Dec. 15. “Earlier this year, the NATO leadership praised Bulgaria’s contribution in operations in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Libya. We also strengthened our cooperation with Western Balkan partners.”

Bulgaria’s NATO contributions are multifaceted, concentrated around facilitating dialogues, consultations and coordination between the 28 member states. In 2006, a high-level forum of the member states’ foreign ministers was held in Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)