Interview with former Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin

 

Ivailo-Kalfin

Kourosh Ziabari – Tehran Times: Former Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin believes that the crisis in Syria should be solved through talks and diplomatic efforts, not the use of unilateral force by the external players.

“All the efforts have to be sought in order to start the peace process in Syria. I think it’s not going to be facilitated by the use of military force from an external source. I think it should be assured that all the solutions for Syria should remain peaceful. A good move was the decision on the chemical weapons. I think that this is the first step that should continue and go on until finding a lasting solution, but again using military or paramilitary means is not going to be a good service to the country, either from the neighbors or the countries outside the region,” said Ivailo Kalfin in an exclusive interview with Tehran Times.

On Iran’s nuclear program, Mr. Kalfin says that he is encouraged by the new efforts made by the Iranian government to reach out to the European Union and the United States. He believes that as a result of comprehensive negotiations between Iran and the West, the sanctions against Iran can be lifted and in this path, Bulgaria is very eager to maintain robust cultural and economic relations with Iran.

Ivailo Kalfin was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and Deputy Prime Minister from 2005 to 2009. He is currently a member of European Parliament. In the European Parliament, Kalfin is serving as the Vice-chairman of the Committee on Budgets. From 2002 to 2005, he was an economic advisor to the President of Bulgaria, Georgi Paranov.

Mr. Kalfin took part in an exclusive interview with Tehran Times and answered some questions about the current economic and political situation in Bulgaria and also the current state of affairs in the Middle East, especially in Syria.

What follows is the text of the interview.

Q: Dr. Kalfin; how has the Eurozone crisis affected Bulgaria? Such countries as Greece, Portugal and Spain faced great economic difficulties and were forced to adopt austerity measures. How has Bulgaria confronted the repercussions and consequences of the economic crisis in the Eurozone? Is your country facing the unemployment crisis which has caused great troubles to some of the EU member states?

A: The Eurozone crisis didn’t affect Bulgaria directly, first because Bulgaria is not a member of the Eurozone and we don’t have Euro, and second because we have had very disciplined and prudent fiscal policies for more than 10 years. So Bulgaria didn’t accumulate debt. Our debt is one of the lowest debts in Europe, and we didn’t have to make a huge deficit in the budget. But still the economy was affected through a much slower growth and higher unemployment which is higher than the average European level.

Q: How has Bulgaria’s trade with the countries in the Eurozone suffered as a result of the economic crisis these countries were experiencing? Has Bulgaria undergone economic and financial difficulties as a result of the crisis its EU trade partners faced?

A: Basically the economic crisis has affected Bulgaria’s exports more. As a result of the economic crisis, Bulgaria’s imports and exports diminished very much and the economy was slowed down. Bulgaria’s economy is very much oriented towards the European Union. More than 60% of the trade is done with the European Union and that’s why when there’s a slow-down in Europe, there will be an immediate slowdown in the Bulgarian economy. That made Bulgaria’s businesses look for other alternatives and other markets and diversify its trade partners.

Q: Which countries are currently the major trade partners of Bulgaria outside the European Union? Do you have regular trade ties with such countries as China and Russia, as well?

A: Outside the European Union, the major trade partner for Bulgaria is Russia. We import quite a lot of energy sources, including gas and oil. The other major partner is Turkey which is a neighboring country of Bulgaria. With Turkey, we have a high turnover in terms of imports and exports. We have also trade ties with China and mostly import goods from China. We also exported some traditional Bulgarian products to China which was done with some difficulties last year, but it’s still going on. In Central Asia, the market for Bulgarian goods is developing slowly, so again the EU crisis made the Bulgarian businesses look much more eastward.

Q: It was on the news that Bulgaria is currently facing an immigration crisis as more refugees from the crisis-hit, war-torn Syria are moving to the European countries like Bulgaria. I also read that the head of Bulgaria’s refugees department was fired amid the growing influx of Syrian to the country. How is Bulgaria going to tackle the problem of Syrian refugees? Do you have the sufficient facilities to accommodate them?

A: We have a problem because all the facilities that Bulgaria has are in a normal level for the normal inflow of refugees which is around 1,000 to 1,500 and the accommodation centers are mostly booked and we don’t have anything beyond that. Currently in Bulgaria, there are nearly 6,000 refugees and about 70% of them are coming from Syria and what is the concern is that every day we have between 60 and 100 people crossing the borders and coming to Bulgaria. This is going very much beyond the possibilities of the country, not only in providing shelter and food for this people, but in taking measures that are needed including medical checks, interviews and other helps. This is too much and an excessive burden for Bulgaria. It’s a huge problem for the country now.

Q: In the first months of 2013, Bulgaria has been witness to widespread protests against the high electricity and hot water bills and government-granted monopolies which finally led to the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his cabinet members. How has Bulgaria tackled this crisis? Are people now content with the electricity and water prices? Has the new government adopted reformed and revised policies in granting the power provision privileges?

A: The problem in Bulgaria is not much the high price of electricity, but the low income of the people, because if you compare the electricity prices in Bulgaria with the other members of the European Union, we have one of the low prices. But still for this income and salaries of the people, the electricity prices are high. And in last year, we had a lot of public protests because the previous government had kept down the incomes for four years, and it was really very difficult for the people to pay the electricity bills. Now, with the new government, the incomes have moved upward but we have a structural problem in Bulgaria that we have to put more efforts into energy efficiency and the diversification of the sources of energy. One of the reasons for the high prices of energy is the excessive use of renewable energies which are very expensive. So now, these balances are being made slowly, but the lasting solution will be the increase of the income of the Bulgarian citizens.

Q: The fossil fuels cannot be considered as reliable and trustworthy sources of energy. They will finally shrink and come to an end, even if they can meet our demands and needs for two or three centuries. What are the major plans of the EU countries and Bulgaria in particular for deriving benefit from the renewable, green sources of energy and replacing them with the traditional receptacles of energy?

A: Besides the fossil fuels which we have traditionally had in Bulgaria for many years, we have the nuclear energy. We have a nuclear power plant with two blocks which are producing a substantial share of electricity in Bulgaria, and it is on a very good competitive price. A long-term solution is the introduction of renewable resources, but again in order to stimulate investments, the consumers have to pay a much higher price. So, they have to be introduced gradually in order not to boost the prices of electricity. But now I would say that in Bulgaria, we have about 18-19% of renewable energy from all the energy consumed totally, the same percentage comes from the nuclear power plants and the rest is produced using the fossil fuels.

Q: Bulgaria has a relatively good and promising human rights record. Last week, it was elected by the UN General Assembly as the chairman of the Third Committee of the Organization which deals with thematic issues of human rights and the status of human rights in different world countries. What is the significance and importance of this election? How does it contribute to the improvement of Bulgaria’s international stature?

A: The Third Committee in the United Nations is a visible and very important committee and there are scientific issues which would be discussed there. So the chairmanship of Bulgaria which is a rotating chairmanship is going to be very important. Otherwise, in Bulgaria we have accomplished high standards for the human rights in a democratic atmosphere in the European Union. We still have some issues such as press freedom, but it’s not simple very much because the problem with the press is the economic crisis and the media have a difficult access to market in Bulgaria, so again, going in that direction, I think that we can improve but we should say that Bulgaria is meeting high standards of human rights.

Q: It was on the news that France opposes Bulgaria and Romania’s joining the Schengen zone and maintains that the citizens of these countries should not be allowed to travel across Europe without visas. What do you think is the reason for their opposition, and what measures have you adopted to solve this problem?

A: Basically, the opposition for Bulgaria’s joining the Schengen agreement, in many cases, including in France, is stimulated by internal problems that have nothing to do with Schengen. It sounds paradoxical, but listening to some statements by the French government officials, we see this is happening as it is. They say that the Bulgarian citizens should not be allowed to Schengen. This is a total mixture of the right reasoning. Schengen is for the citizens of its countries, not for Bulgaria neither for the European Union. Bulgaria is on the external border of the union, and we have all the time different kinds of inspections, and this is one of the best reasons to keep the border for Bulgaria. So, I really don’t see any reasons for not opening the Schengen Area for Bulgaria, but again this is part of the political debate in Europe and sometimes internal domestic policies which interfere with the EU’s decisions.

Q: You know that around 8 percent of the population of Bulgaria is consisted of Muslims. What’s your viewpoint on the emergence and growth of the phenomenon of Islamophobia in the Western societies? How is Bulgaria treating its Muslim minority? How is the interaction of Bulgarian people with their Muslim fellow citizens?

A: Bulgaria has traditionally a very high tolerance for the followers of various religions and this is deeply grounded in the history. Most of the Muslims in Bulgaria have been living there for centuries, and they’re absolutely part of the national identity, so having different religions is something which is very usual for the Bulgarians and there’s not any reason for tensions. We have Jewish people, we have Armenians. Bulgaria is known to have preserved its Jewish population during the World War II. It has also accepted many Armenian refugees during the German attacks on the Armenians. So, Bulgaria is a country where you have various religions for centuries and Islamophobia is not something which is welcome in Bulgaria. Of course we might have some extremists and political forces, but all we know that generally Bulgarian people are immensely tolerant toward the various religions in the country.

Q: I know that you constantly monitor the developments in other European countries. It was in 2011 that the Norwegian mass killer Andres Breivik massacred 77 people in Oslo and Utøya for their alleged support of the Palestinian people. In his 1,500-page manifesto, he warned the European societies against the threats posed against its multicultural environment by the Muslims. What’s your viewpoint on that?

A: I think any form of extremism is very detrimental to the societies. And again, it runs counter to the democratic values, to the European values, to the human values and against the capability for us to live next to each other with different religions. In Bulgaria, we have this tradition. We are living next to each other and it has been so for centuries. So no form of extremism is welcome. This is something which is important not only to the Bulgarian people, but to the whole citizens of Europe.

Q: As a NATO member state, what’s Bulgaria’s position on the crisis in Syria? Would Bulgaria take part in a possible military strike against Syria? What’s your viewpoint regarding the involvement of Al-Qaeda terrorist and foreign-backed mercenaries in the war against the government of President Assad? Doesn’t it represent a kind of duplicitous policy that the United States is supporting Al-Qaeda in Syria?

A: NATO is not involved in the conflict in Syria and there’s no such talks and such preparations. Unfortunately, what is happening in Syria is negatively affecting the Syrian people and the young Syrians. We just had a meeting in the group of socialists in the European Parliament with three young Syrian refugees that are fleeing their country. These young people are somehow displaced because of the war and the conflict in their country. All the efforts have to be sought in order to start the peace process in Syria. I think it’s not going to be facilitated by the use of military force from an external source. I think it should be assured that all the solutions for Syria should remain peaceful. A good move was the decision on the chemical weapons. I think that this is the first step that should continue and go on until finding a lasting solution, but again using military or paramilitary means is not going to be a good service to the country, either from the neighbors or the countries outside the region.

Q: What’s your viewpoint on Iran’s new president Hassan Rouhani’s diplomatic offensive and his efforts to reach out to the United States and settle the longstanding disputes with the West over Iran’s nuclear program?

A: I’m encouraged and look with hope into the developments of Iran’s relations with the European Union, the United States and the Western partners. We have issues related to Iran’s nuclear case. Bulgaria, is a country that is developing nuclear power for energy but we are also a member to the international conventions on the use of nuclear energy. So, it is the right of Iran and any country to develop peaceful nuclear power and energy. At the same time, there should be guarantees that this cannot turn into raising an arm race, because in this region, like any other region in the world, this may trigger very dangerous events. So, I think it’s in interest of everybody to have an open dialog to give the possibility to Iran to develop peaceful nuclear power, but again also it should give assurance to the world that it does not move toward the accumulation of nuclear arms in the region. This goes for all the countries in the region. Bulgaria is supporting nuclear disarmament everywhere in the world and again I’m very encouraged by the possibility for a new dialog in a new atmosphere with the Iranian President. These issues have been accumulated for many years but I think we could find new ways and step by step normalize the relations. This is going to be very important for Bulgaria. We are eagerly looking forward to develop cultural and economic relations with Irann and this would be a very good piece of news for Bulgaria.

Q: What do you think about the unilateral sanctions which have been imposed against Iran outside the framework of the United Nations Security Council, especially the EU’s oil embargo which was endorsed by the EU foreign ministers including Bulgaria? the EU ready to lift the sanctions if the nuclear talks between Iran and the six world powers lead to substantive and significant results?

A: I think the sanctions are the last step and measure, especially in that they are affecting the normal citizens and the everyday life of the people in the country. I think that it’s not possible to go through the Security Council because of the disagreements there. At the same time, I’m very much hopeful that there will be a new chapter in the relations of Iran with the European Union and the Western world, and I think that the last opening will be that the sanctions would be released.

Q: What do you think about the humanitarian impact of the sanctions? Aren’t they detrimental and harmful to the daily lives of the ordinary Iranian citizens?

A: They are detrimental; they are harmful to the ordinary citizens of Iran. I tell you this as somebody living in Bulgaria. We have been a neighbor of Yugoslavia which has been under an embargo for many years, and I have witnessed how people were suffering from this. The key to the solving of the problem is in the hands of the government and politicians to open the dialog and create the conditions for the lifting of the sanctions. Again, sanctions cannot be a lasting solution. This can give only an incentive to solve the problems, but the final key is in the hand of the politicians.

This interview was originally published on Tehran Times daily in two parts. First part, second part