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‘The Potential for Korea to Stand Tall<br> in the Center of the World’

Svetlan H. Stoev, Administrative Secretary of Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highly praised Korea’s performance as host of the G-20 Seoul Summit. He also called on the Korea Foundation to play an active role in promoting Korea-Bulgaria cooperative efforts as part of the 20th anniversary of their establishment of diplomatic relations.

What are your thoughts about Korea, and how would you describe your country of Bulgaria?
South Korea is the first Asian country I have ever visited. I have been deeply impressed by Korea’s IT and car industries, above all. I found Korea’s cultural heritage very impressive, too. Bulgaria also has cultural relics designated on the UNESCO World Heritage list, and I hope there can be more active exchange between our two countries, with a focus on the tourism resources of our two countries.
I know that the Korean people usually think of yogurt when it comes to Bulgaria. There are, however, so many things to see in Bulgaria, and I strongly encourage more Koreans to visit us. About five million tourists visit Sofia every year, with most of them being Europeans on their summer holidays. Bulgaria is also getting more attention as a popular skiing destination. I think Koreans and Bulgarians are feeling closer to each other as a result of increasing demand for business and tourism exchange and the opening of direct flights between our two countries.

Which organizations in Korea have you visited and what has been the focus of your discussions?
I met with the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) and the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Korea to discuss ways to boost economic, trade, and investment relations, and I could see the great potential for exchange in various areas. As for diplomacy, I discussed the matter of foreign ministerial visits. The Bulgarian foreign minister visited Korea in 2008, and it is expected that the Korean foreign minister will visit Bulgaria in return. Since coming to power in 2008, the new government of Bulgaria has taken a more active policy role in the fields of diplomacy and defense. As for Korea’s Lee Myung-bak administration, it is also looking for active exchange overseas, so I think we will see many results next year as well.

Korea is not very familiar with Bulgaria, but what is the image of Korea among the Bulgarian people?
I would like to tell you that Korea is closer to the Bulgarian people and their everyday life than you might imagine. Hyundai Motor Company’s sales and service office in Bulgaria is the largest in Europe, and it is not difficult to see Korean cars on the streets. Samsung is also one of the most familiar products of Korea found in Bulgarian homes. In addition, it is expected that the Korea-EU FTA will provide additional opportunity for Korea to make its brands even more popular.

How do you assess the potential for economic cooperation between Bulgaria and Korea?
Although not so big as Russia in terms of market size, Bulgaria enjoys a special, strategic position in the Balkans. It is on a crossroads linking together the countries in the Balkans with Europe and the Middle East, and offers a very advantageous entry point into the Black Sea region. Its strengths include the country’s easy access to markets of 500 million people of the EU, Turkey, and the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) region. In addition, to attract foreign investors, Bulgaria guarantees equal treatment to both foreign and Bulgarian businesses, and offers a single corporate tax rate of 10 percent, the lowest level among EU members. I think the conclusion of the Korea-EU FTA will enable Korea to utilize these advantages of Bulgaria more effectively, and send a positive message to the European market.

What are the priority matters of Bulgaria and its people at this time?
From an international perspective, the G-20 Summit is one of the biggest issues in Bulgaria because any discussion and agreement among the 20 countries will have an impact on not only those countries but also all the other countries in the world. The world has already become very closely connected and Bulgaria is no exception. This is evident from the fact that our country experienced much difficulty as a result of the financial crisis that started in the advanced countries like the United States. As a country under the direct and indirect influences of global economic trends, Bulgaria is very much interested in how the advanced countries will come up with ways to prevent any future crisis at such a meeting, rather than simply discussing how to cope with the current crisis.

As a foreign affairs official, what are your thoughts about the 20th anniversary of Korea-Bulgaria diplomatic relations?
Our bilateral exchange has shown such remarkable growth over the past two decades that I want to say it is comparable to the exchange results between other countries for five decades. It is far more so when you consider how many treaties and agreements have been made thus far between our heads of states or parties concerned. The Bulgarian President made a visit to Korea last year, and the two countries’ government officials frequently visit each other. I believe our bilateral relations are being reinforced overall, not just for the sake of celebrating the anniversary. Especially, I expect the growing exchange in trade and business, boosted by the FTA and other factors, will lead to an increase in exchange in general.

What role should the Korea Foundation play to help expand bilateral exchange?
While meeting with President Byung-kook Kim of the Korea Foundation, I discussed various ways to promote exchange and cooperation. We exchanged opinions on cooperation in international politics and various other areas. I recommended that the Korea Foundation participate in a seminar which is being held in Sofia in March next year. What I also would like to emphasize is that the remarkable growth which Korea has enjoyed during the past two decades, through such international events as the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, and the G-20 Seoul Summit, represents not just an achievement of the Korean government but also a demonstration of the potential of the Korean people. I hope the Korea Foundation will fully utilize this potential to further expand exchange. I, myself, will make known my impressive thoughts about Korea when I return to Bulgaria.

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