Bulgaria’s caretaker government in moves to replace 14 ambassadors
The caretaker government appointed by President Roumen Radev has been involved in moves in recent days – on either side of the April 2 early parliamentary elections – to replace 14 of Bulgaria’s ambassadors abroad.
Ambassadorial appointments are a matter of coordination among the Foreign Ministry, cabinet and the head of state.
With Bulgaria currently in the stewardship of a caretaker cabinet, President Roumen Radev is able to exercise direct influence.
Previous years have been prolonged stand-offs between heads of state and the governments of the day, in particular when the two institutions are at variance in terms of political affiliation.
Among those proposed for new appointments in foreign capitals are the current caretaker Foreign Minister and one of the caretaker deputy foreign ministers.
Caretaker Foreign Minister Nikolai Milkov is nominated to move from the post he held before his appointment to the interim administration, ambassador to France and Bulgaria’s permanent representative to Unesco, to become Bulgaria’s permanent representative to Nato.
Caretaker deputy foreign minister Kostadin Kodzhabashev, formerly ambassador to Ukraine, is to become ambassador to the Vatican.
Other nominees proposed last week, according to the online information system of the government, are
Krasimir Bozhanov to become ambassador to Slovenia, Desislava Ivanova-Kozleva ambassador to Norway and Maya Dobreva ambassador to Moldova.
Nine further nominations were posted on the information system on April 3.
Slavena Gergova is to become ambassador to Israel, current ambassador to China Grigor Porozhanov is to become ambassador to Germany, Vanya Andreeva-Malakova ambassador to Ireland and Svetlana Stoicheva-Etropolski to Sweden.
Nikolai Yanev is nominated to become ambassador to India, Yassen Tomov ambassador to Lebanon, Pavlin Todorov to Vietnam, Iva Kruleva to Croatia and Metin Kazak to Jordan.
It is not clear on which dates the caretaker government made these nominations, which were not the subject of official media statements, but emerged only after media noticed the proposals in the online legal registration systems.
(Photo, of the government and presidency buildings in Dondukov Boulevard, with the former Party House in the centre: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
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