Exactly 130 years ago Bulgaria was resurrected as a state on the map of the Balkan Peninsula, Europe and the world, as a result of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, which we call War of Liberation. The San Stefano Peace Treaty delineated the boundaries of the future free country of the Bulgarians. However, this preliminary treaty of March 3, 1878 remained forever a piece of paper…

Several months later, in June 1878 the so-called Berlin Treaty followed, which united the West European Great Powers against the influence of Russia in what would be a large Balkan state of Bulgaria. I shall not dwell on the year 1885, when with the blessing of these same West European powers the Kingdom of Serbia invaded the young Bulgarian state, after it dared proclaim the Union of the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia.

Throughout the 20th century small Bulgaria was a hostage of the great world powers. The end of World War I split up the Bulgarians by the humiliating Treaty of Neuilly (1919), and World War II ended for Bulgaria with the no less disparaging Paris Peace Treaty (1947).

In the beginning of 2008, the Republic of Bulgaria completed its first year of membership in the European Union. And for the first time the Great West European Powers supported categorically the equal existence of Bulgaria in Europe. Today, 130 years later, Bulgaria’s accession to the EU is a kind of a historical finale of the outcome of the Russo-Turkish War.

It is even not paradoxical that in the beginning of the 21st century the interests of Europe and Russia with regard to Bulgaria coincided.

Some ironically insinuate that now Bulgaria is Russia’s Trojan horse in EU and NATO. In a hypothetical Trojan war, my humble opinion is that Bulgaria for 1,300 years has been in the role of the beautiful Helen!

Juliana Tomova
Publisher and Editor-in-chief