Black Sea Bulgaria

The Balkan's SEDM (and potential SEDIIM), SECI, and SEEBRIG can serve as models to further expand to the greater Black Sea littoral beyond the formation of the Black Sea Force (BLACKSEAFOR) that was established in April 2001 among the six Black Sea states 7 for search and rescue humanitarian operations, clearing sea mines, protecting the environment, and promoting good will visits. One can envision the creation of a Black Sea Task Force to deal not only with civil emergency contingencies such as the earthquakes that perennially strike the region and potential CBR after-effects, but also to interdict the trafficking of drugs, weapons, and humans across the greater Black Sea region, especially with the participation of Ukraine, the Russian Fleet, and the Caucasus. Here, too, since the continued engagement of Ukraine in PfP is important, the Istanbul Summit might consider commencing intensified dialogues with Ukraine as a pre-requisite to joining the MAP, as ... [Read More]

Hub Responsibilities and Contact Information

Location/Responsible Bureau/Countries Assigned/Major Issues I.  Anatolian Hub Ankara, Turkey Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Turkey, Ukraine; Bulgaria (Black Sea issues only; other issues handled by REO Budapest); Kazakhstan (Caspian oil and gas pipelines only; other issues handled by REO Tashkent); Romania (Black Sea issues only; other issues handled by REO Budapest); Russian Federation (Black Sea and at-sea Caspian pipelines only; other issues handled by EST Office, AmEmbassy Moscow); Turk ... [Read More]

Bulgaria
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Bulgaria
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US Department Of State Post Report

Bulgaria is a country of mountains, plains, and seacoast, occupying 110,000 square kilometers (43,000 square miles) of the Balkan Peninsula. It measures roughly 260 miles from east to west and about 150 miles from north to south. Much of the country is mountainous with only about 40% cultivated. The Danube River, Black Sea, and the Pirin and Rhodope Mountains provide natural borders on the north, east, and south. Flowing south into Greece are the unnavigable Struma, Maritsa, Mesta, and Arda Rivers, important sources of water for irrigation. The Iskar River is the longest river. The Balkan range extends across the north-central part of the country, separating the wheatgrowing Dobrudzha region from the Thracian plain, where vegetables, fruits, grapes, and tobacco are cultivated. ... [Read More]

Candidates for NATO Membership: Key Facts and Figures
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Department of State, International Information Programs, U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda, December 1999 - "Preventing Conflict: Military Engagement in Peacetime"

The U.S. Coast Guard's increasing global role in peacetime engagement takes the agency from the Arctic to the Tropics, from the Caribbean region to the Bering Sea, and to Europe, Africa, and Asia. In the following article, Daniel Wartko, International Policy Specialist, Office of the Coast Guard Commandant, discusses the Coast Guard's wide-ranging international activities and how it works with other nations to prevent conflict, promote democracy, enhance regional stability, and contribute to economic prosperity. Wartko outlines Coast Guard programs to aid Haiti in developing a national coast guard, to help Black Sea nations develop maritime standards, and to encourage discussion with nations in the Middle East on cooperative search and rescue operations and other maritime safety issues. ... [Read More]