Bulgaria Top Diplomat Criticizes Predecessor's Staff Policy

Bulgaria's Foreign Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, presented Thursday his new team. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's newly appointed Foreign Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, stressed Thursday the urgent need to appoint Ambassadors to Washington, Paris, Skopje and Ankara.

Mladenov says that the layoffs at Bulgarian diplomatic representations, conducted during the leadership of his predecessor, Rumiana Jeleva, need to be revised, adding they have not been done according to objective criteria.

“This does not mean there will be no layoffs, it just means we need to base them on careful analysis and not on the go,” the Minister explained.

Mladenov spoke during the presentation of his new team, announcing also the institution's new structure with two separate directorates - “Asia, Australia and Oceania,” and Africa and the Middle East,” and a directorate for International Development which will work in coordination with Bulgaria's EU commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva.

The top diplomat declared his Ministry will strive to improve coordination with the Economy, Finance, Interior and Defense Ministries since successful foreign policies should be based on successful interior ones

Mladenov further outlined policies in Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Black Sea Region as top priorities of the Ministry.

Mladenov was moved from Head of the Defense Ministry to the Foreign Ministry, after Rumiana Jeleva's withdrawal over unconvincing performance at the European Parliament during her hearing to become Bulgaria's EU Commissioner.

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