U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Bulgaria on Feb. 5 to meet with Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and other Bulgarian officials. The visit presents an opportunity for the United States and Bulgaria to discuss two key areas of cooperation — security and energy — at a time when dynamics in Central and Southeastern Europe are shifting and competition between the West and Russia is growing.
Bulgaria's geopolitical importance stems from its strategic location. Bulgaria is located in the southeastern corner of Europe and has historically been contested by major powers, including Russia, Turkey and Europe. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, former satellite state Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2007. Bulgaria is particularly important to the United States from a military and logistical perspective: 2,500 U.S. troops are stationed at Graf Ignatievo and Bezmer airbases and on Novo Selo training range. Bulgaria is a logical transit point for equipment to the Middle East, serving as a significant hub during the Iraq war, and also contributes 600 troops to the International Security Assistance Force. The country is also a part of the U.S.-planned ballistic missile defense system in Central Europe, which is facing resistance from Russia.
Therefore, Clinton's visit is intended to demonstrate Bulgaria's importance as a U.S. ally in security. In this context, Washington will offer several secondhand F-16 fighter jets — reportedly Block-25 models that were manufactured more than two decades ago and are currently not in service in the United States. The fighter jets may be given as a gift, though it is reported that Bulgaria will be responsible for upgrading them to make the jets operational. Clinton's visit and the F-16 offer are important because they come during a time of Russian resurgence into Eastern and Central Europe. Washington wants to make sure Sofia remains a committed NATO ally.
Clinton's visit also coincides with shifting regional energy dynamics. Bulgaria is completely dependent on Russia for its natural gas imports, and Russia is in the process of trying to tighten its energy grip in the region by making plans for the construction of South Stream, a new pipeline from Russia to Southern Europe (a feasibility and cost study will be presented by Russian energy officials in February). Bulgaria has already committed to the project, and several other European countries have recently signed on as well. In addition, Bulgaria enacted an indefinite ban on hydraulic fracturing over environmental concerns, though Bulgaria is years away from hydraulic fracturing in terms of feasibility and technical capacity.
Clinton reportedly plans to raise the issue with Bulgarian officials because the United States is broadly interested in Europe's energy diversification away from Russia, and the ban is not in line with U.S. interests. Though hydraulic fracturing is not the driving force behind Clinton's visit, the visit is an opportunity for Washington to determine where Bulgaria stands in both energy outlook and its wider security position.
