Australia's New Ambassador Throws New Bridge to Bulgaria

Jenny Bloomfield is the first female Australian Ambassador to Greece, Bulgaria and Albania and the first of Greek ancestry. Photo by www.dfat.gov.au

Australia and Bulgaria have the potential to encourage tourism growth, facilitate business relationships and strengthen cultural links, according to newly appointed ambassador Jenny Bloomfield.

"Bulgaria is focused more on its work with its European partners because of its geographical location. But this does not mean that the link between Bulgaria and Australia is not important. It is up to us to find opportunities and fields, where we have common interests," Jenny Bloomfield, Australia's new Ambassador to Greece, with non-resident accreditation to Bulgaria and Albania, said in an interview for Dnevnik daily.

Australia has been among those nations who have contributed troops, supplies and other resources to the NATO-led military effort in Afghanistan, which began in the weeks after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

According to the ambassador the deployment of troops in Afghanistan and the fight against terror prove Bulgaria and Australia have common interests in foreign policy and share common values.

Ambassador Bloomfield plans to travel frequently between Athens and Sofia to explore and promote new fields of cooperation, such as tourism, education, research, energy and infrastructure.

More than 10 000 Australian tourists come each year to Bulgaria, which is gaining popularity in Australia, especially among the younger people because of its hospitality, EU membership and rich culture, according to data the ambassador presented.

The number of Bulgarians, going to Australia however, is much below that, even though the Bulgarian community in Australia total 15 000.

Tourists and businesspeople from Bulgaria, as well as all European Union member states, have access to a simple online visitor visa service to travel to Australia for stays up to 90 days, which is a fairly simple procedure.

"The main challenge that we face now is to get to know each other better, learn more about our countries and create opportunities for exchange. That's the reason why I am here," the ambassador stressed.

Jenny Bloomfield replaced Jeremy Newman who has been Ambassador in Athens since 2008. She is the first female Australian Ambassador to Greece, Bulgaria and Albania and the first of Greek ancestry.

Jenny Bloomfield already presented her credentials to Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev.

Born in Thessaloniki, Bloomfield (nee Siourthas) is a native Greek speaker who migrated with her family to Australia as a child. She is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and until recently was Assistant Secretary, Middle East Branch.

The ambassador has previously served overseas in Japan and Iran. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University, a Bachelor of Letters in Political Science and French, and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Arts in Modern Greek from the University of Melbourne.

Married with four children.

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