After years of social and political transformation, Bulgaria has uniquely positioned itself among the countries of the Balkans and Black Sea region. Not only does it currently enjoy unprecedented economic growth and the full trust of foreign investors, but its accession to the European Union and its NATO membership have made it an even more critical strategic player in regional and international relations.

In the past decade, Bulgaria has transformed from a country with a planned, centralized economy and a one-party system into one of the pillars of the Euro-Atlantic integration and an embodiment of democratic principles, development and values. The country’s progress has placed it in a key position with regard to the other EU member states, on one hand, and to the countries of the Balkans on the other. Membership in and integration with the EU and NATO has been crucial both for Bulgaria’s democratic consolidation as well as its economic development.

Bulgaria played a critical role in the formulation of a new era in regional cooperation, beginning with the establishment of the South East European Co-operation Process (SEECP) in early 1996 in Sofia, the nation’s capital. The country also contributed to the establishment of a long-lasting and comprehensive regional dialogue on the Balkans—reflected in the transformation of the Stability Pact in Southeast Europe into a Regional Cooperation Council, which proved that regional partnership is not only possible but efficient. The success of this initiative was most vividly illustrated when representatives of the Serbian and Kosovo authorities sat at one table in Pomorie, Bulgaria, at a high-level summit of the SEECP. Bulgaria’s engagement in critical regional issues has demonstrated the principle that no country can isolate itself from responsibility toward its neighbors.

Bulgaria’s important role in the region became clearer more recently, during Kosovo’s declaration of independence and during the conflict in the South Caucasus in the summer of 2008. In both conflicts, Bulgaria demonstrated the efficacy of the European Union’s oft-maligned “soft power.” With its excellent bilateral relations with the Russian Federation and surrounding countries, Bulgaria proved itself as a particularly valuable ally in facilitating dialogue on issues of security, stability, and democratic development in the Balkans. And NATO members continue to seek Bulgaria’s expertise not only regarding the Caucasus Region but also the Western Balkans and beyond.

The active economic and energy partnerships between Bulgaria and Russia—including the Belene Nuclear Power Plant, the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline, and the South Stream pipeline—have fostered strong ties between the countries and demonstrate that Bulgaria can be another channel of communication between the European Union and Russia. Both can certainly benefit from an alternative point of view when assessing current issues, as well as future opportunities for dialogue.

Unfortunately, these ties with Russia have led some to fear that Bulgaria is simply its “Trojan Horse” in the European Union. This contention, however, fails to recognize the difference between bilateral commercial relations and Bulgaria’s priorities as a full EU and NATO member with a firm Euro-Atlantic orientation. Moreover, those who worry that Bulgaria may betray the interests of the European Union ignore the explicit position of Russia, which fully recognizes Bulgaria’s most important foreign policy priorities. Multilateral diplomacy need not preclude a commitment to EU policies.

The Balkans and the countries in the Black Sea and Caucasus regions should not and cannot remain isolated. And today, the people living in the Balkans, cherish hopes to finally overcome the differences that for years have hindered regional partnership. Thus, Bulgaria has the opportunity to make use of its EU membership and its active policy role to foster the democratic development and stability in the Balkans and Black Sea Region. Indeed, the country’s successful process of Euro-Atlantic integration aroused hopes in the formerly-excluded countries—Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina—that they also could be integrated into transnational organizations and promote regional security and stability through those memberships.

Bulgaria must now show that Euro-Atlantic integration is the basis of its success today and will be that of others in the future. This is the country’s great potential and responsibility.