Heads up – Embassy 20 – November 2009

Changing with the times

Lyubomir Kyuchukov has the knack of being in the right place at the right time. Bulgaria’s new Ambassador to London says his capacity for reinvention – from diplomat to politician, political analyst, businessman and eventually deputy foreign minister – reflects the huge political and social upheaval Bulgaria has undergone over the past two decades.

“It was a very dynamic period where things were changing every day,” he recalls.

By the mid-1980s Kyuchukov sensed the first gusts of the winds of change, prompting him to enter politics and join up with reform-minded individuals.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party emerged from the rubble after the collapse of communism and the Ambassador, as its Vice-Chairman, found himself sitting at the groundbreaking National Round Table talks, which would frame Bulgaria’s transition to democracy.

“The first three or four months after the fall of communist rule was the one of the most important periods in the history of our country. It was a really interesting time in which we managed a peaceful transition,” he reflects.

But it came at a price, he adds: “It took a great effort and social suffering.”

Bulgaria’s entire economy was geared towards providing cheap, mass-produced goods for the Soviet market and manufacturers couldn’t compete with producers in the West. Companies went bust, unemployment spiked at 20 per cent and Bulgaria suffered a deep financial crisis.

The ethnic bloodletting in former Yugoslavia also had a very negative impact, he adds. “All our communications passed through Yugoslavia and the wars practically blocked Bulgaria’s access to Europe,” he says. “The wars also created instability in the region and the embargoes generated organised crime which continues to have a negative effect on Bulgarian political life.”

As Bulgaria made the painful transition from a state-run to a market economy, the Ambassador went into business consulting. “The Bulgarian economy was undergoing a great change with the privatisation of state-owned companies. So we provided legal and business advice to foreign companies interested in investing in Bulgaria.”

Politically, Bulgaria’s main foreign policy goal was Euro-Atlantic integration so, in 2001, the Ambassador became a member of the Council for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, working with President Giorgi Parvanov.

“This was the time of the deepest reform and the hardest negotiations for accession,” he says. Bulgaria took the tough decisions to destroy soviet-era missiles and reluctantly agreed to close down their nuclear power stations before accession.

Kyuchukov was Deputy Foreign Minister during the final push for accession and he regards Bulgaria’s EU membership as one of the highlights of his career, but he says his work is far from over.

 “History has proved that reforms should continue after accession – they don’t end on the day of accession!”

Bulgaria learned the hard way when EU aid was frozen because not enough progress had been made tackling organised crime and corruption. But with much effort – and the cooperation of other EU countries, such as Britain, on justice and home affairs – the situation has improved and most of the funds have been released, says the Ambassador.

The new government, under the leadership of the tough-talking Boiko Borisov, a karate champion who transformed the capital Sofia as mayor, has vowed a zero tolerance policy towards corrupt officials and crime bosses, adds Kyuchukov.

“Fighting the crisis, fighting organised crime and restoring the reputation of Bulgaria are our priorities,” he says.

Managing expectations is also an important lesson, he adds: “People thought that things would change over night and of course they were disappointed,” he says.

In particular, Bulgarians were dismayed when Britain closed its labour market to Bulgarian migrants. “It had a psychological impact because we were being treated differently from the other accession countries,” he says.

Opening up Britain’s labour market to Bulgarians is a priority for his posting, says Kyuchukov, who insists Bulgarian citizens pose no migration threat to the UK.

While in London he also hopes to use his business experience to improve bilateral economic relations, by attracting British investors in a number of sectors, particularly in energy and infrastructure.

The recent energy dispute between Ukraine and Russia, which left Bulgaria without oil and gas, increased its resolve to find secure alternative sources and routes for energy.

Situated on the crossroads between Europe and Asia, Bulgaria also wants to improve other under-developed infrastructure networks in the region, such as railways and telecommunications.

“Being on the crossroads has not always proved easy in Bulgaria’s history,” smiles the Ambassador, but it has given the country a rich heritage and culture of tolerance – it was one of only two occupied countries in Europe that protected its Jewish community during the Holocaust. Kyuchukov hopes to use some of his time to help Britain get to know Bulgaria better.