British Diplomacy in Bulgaria During the Cold War

Abstract

The article surveys the British diplomatic goals, activities and efforts in Bulgaria during the Cold war. It argues that the British embassy in Sofia seemed to focus not only on the country itself but to be more or less an instrument to a large degree in light of the British interests in the Balkan region and a wider geopolitical field (USSR, East Europe, Turkey). British diplomats always acted in the context of the prevailing Bulgarian proximity of Germany and Russia, and constant fear of Turkey. The mission was mainly interested in the Russian sphere of influence in Bulgaria, Muslim minority issues and regional developments on the Balkans