92. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Bulgaria1

255319. Subject: Vance-Zhivkova Bilateral.

1. (C-entire text)

2. Summary. Secretary held bilateral talks with Bulgarian UNGA delegation head Lyudmila Zhivkova September 26. Bulgarian participants were Ambassador Grigorov, Permanent Representative to the UN Yankov, and interpreter. US participants were Counselor Nimetz, Assistant Secretary Vest, Ambassador-designate Perry and EUR/EE Deputy Director Gilmore (notetaker). Both sides expressed a desire to improve relations, and the upcoming visit of Assistant Secretary Vest and the CSCE consultations in November were seen as concrete steps in this direction. Zhivkova invited the Secretary to visit Bulgaria at a time convenient to him, and the Secretary expressed the hope that he could accept it at some point. End summary.

3. After an exchange of pleasantries including references by Mme. Zhivkova to her brief social meetings with President and Mrs. Carter and Vice President Mondale, during her June 1977 visit here, Mme. Zhivkova expressed satisfaction that she had been given the opportunity to conduct Bulgaria’s first official UNGA discussions with the Secretary. Welcoming the opportunity to hold bilateral talks with GOB representatives, the Secretary expressed appreciation for Foreign Minister Mladenov’s statements to Ambassador Garthoff about the GOB’s desire to improve bilateral relations.2 He also welcomed the GOB’s action to resolve divided family cases. The Secretary indicated that Ambassador-designate Perry, a colleague in whom he had great confi[Page 268]dence, would be discussing with the GOB specific ways in which we might improve relations.

4. Zhivkova expressed GOB’s satisfaction that US-Bulgarian relations had improved and deepened since the signature of Helsinki Final Act. She stated that there are no “weighty” outstanding issues between the US and Bulgaria, and indicated that a Bulgarian representative would come to the US soon to sign a document resolving financial problems which date back to the 1930’s. (N.B. Zhivkova was apparently alluding to a final settlement with US holders of Kingdom of Bulgaria bonds.) US and Bulgarian leaders, said Zhivkova, owe it to their peoples to develop bilateral relations further. The GOB is conscious of the fact that US is a huge country and a great power with vast resources and human potential. Bulgaria, although very small, has a rich historical and cultural heritage. A crossroads between East and West, Bulgaria survived 500 years under Ottoman bondage and has become a developed and vigorous country. Every country must make its contribution to a better future for the world and the contribution of Bulgaria, as a small country, must be qualitative rather than quantitative. Bulgaria, said Zhivkova, is ready to make its contribution to all aspects of relations including trade and scientific-technical and cultural cooperation.

5. The Secretary agreed that the US and Bulgaria should strive to find more common ground in their relations. He expressed support for continuing US-Bulgarian contacts in the CSCE context and noted that we will hold CSCE consultations with Bulgaria this fall.

6. One area of relations which remains to be settled, said Zhivkova, is that of trade and economic cooperation. Relations in this area should be put on a stable basis, and the issue of MFN should be considered in this context. The Secretary asked Ambassador-designate Perry to explore on his behalf concrete ways of improving relations in this sphere.

7. Zhivkova welcomed Ambassador-designate Perry to Sofia. She noted that the GOB has recognized Ambassador Garthoff’s work in improving relations by giving him the award of the Madara Horseman, First Class.3 The Secretary thanked Zhivkova for honoring Ambassador Garthoff, observing that this award reflected Bulgaria’s desire to improve relations.

8. The Secretary expressed particular satisfaction that Assistant Secretary Vest, his “strong right arm”, would be visiting Bulgaria next month. Zhivkova welcomed the Vest visit as an expansion of contacts [Page 269] between the US and Bulgaria and expressed the hope that contacts such as this would lead to the further development of relations.

9. On behalf of Foreign Minister Mladenov, Zhivkova invited the Secretary to visit Bulgaria at a time convenient to him. The Secretary thanked her for the invitation and expressed the hope that he would be able to accept it at some point. Noting that Bulgaria would celebrate its 1300th anniversary as a state in 1981, Zhivkova indicated that a visit to Bulgaria then would enable the Secretary to join in the celebration. Bulgarian UN Ambassador Yankov quickly added that if the Secretary could come sooner, then so much the better.

Vance
  1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790443–0890. Confidential; Immediate. Drafted by Gilmore; cleared by Vest, Frasure, and Bremer; approved by Raphel.
  2. See Document 91. The Bulgarian Government and the Embassy in Sofia renewed calls for a bilateral between the two Foreign Ministers in 1979. Grigorov called on Assistant Secretary Vest June 29 to discuss the state of relations between the two countries. Stressing the improvement in relations, Vest promised “he would do everything possible to arrange a meeting” between Vance and Mladenov. (Telegram 173956 to Sofia, July 5; National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790307–1001) On July 31, the Embassy in Sofia also recommended a meeting, stressing that “a Vance/Mladenov meeting is long overdue.” (Telegram 1802 from Sofia, July 31; National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790347–0263) However, as the meeting was being scheduled, the Embassy informed the Department that Mladenov was to accompany Zhivkov to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. (Telegram 2193 from Sofia, September 12; National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790421–0279)
  3. For his account of the award, see Raymond Garthoff, My Journey through the Cold War, p. 323.