Right after the adoption of the Tarnovo Constitution, in which the lawgivers added a text enabling the Bulgarian Principality to have independent diplomatic relations with other states despite the tributary status imposed on it by the Berlin Treaty, the newly established Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ecclesiastical Matters started appointing its foreign diplomatic agencies. Romania was among the first countries to accept a Bulgarian diplomatic representation with the status of agency.

On May 28, 1879, the Romanian government appointed Alexandru Stoyanovich as first consul in Ruse. At the initiative of the minister of foreign affairs and ecclesiastical matters, by decree of June 19, 1879, Prince Alexander Battenberg set up an agency of the Bulgarian Principality in Bucharest, which was to “facilitate the relations” between the two governments. The same princely decree determined the status of the Bulgarian representative in Bucharest as “agent” (diplomatic agent) and allotted funds from the budget for the support of the Bulgarian agency in the Romanian capital: 10,000 francs annual salary of the diplomatic agent, 4000 francs entertainment allowance and 3400 francs for office expenditure. A secretary and a translator were appointed to the agency. Evlogi Georgiev was appointed as diplomatic agent of the Bulgarian Principality in Bucharest and he handed his letters of credence on November 10, 1879. This choice was very good because, together with his brother Hristo Georgiev, he had lived for many years in Romania, where he had large-scale business activity and enjoyed great respect among the economic and political circles. Soon afterwards the Romanian government also appointed its diplomatic representative in Sofia with the status of diplomatic agent. On September 19, 1879, the first Romanian diplomatic agent and consul general in the Bulgarian Principality Alexandru Sturdza presented his letters of credence to Prince Alexander Battenberg. In his speech at the ceremony, Prince Battenberg expressed gratitude to Romania and the Romanian people for the hospitality rendered to the Bulgarian political emigrants fighting for the freedom of Bulgaria on Romanian soil and for Romania’s support in the liberating Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878).

The diplomatic agent in Bucharest Evlogi Georgiev established fruitful contacts with prominent Romanian politicians and statesmen and started negotiations for the first agreements between the two countries. Every success in this direction was of great importance for the Bulgarian Principality, which was struggling for its right to independent foreign policy and diplomacy, severely restricted by the Berlin Treaty. On November 30, 1879, Evlogi Georgiev sent a report to the minister of foreign affairs and ecclesiastical matters G. Nachovich, informing him of the talks he had had with Vasile Boerescu, who several months later became foreign minister of Romania. Boerescu assured Evlogi Georgiev that he had instructed the Romanian agent Sturdza to talk with the Bulgarian minister about the drafting of an extradition convention between Bulgaria and Romania.

By a letter of January 18, 1880, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ecclesiastical Matters informed its diplomatic agent in Istanbul, D. Tzankov, that according to the information it had received the Romanian government is negotiation a trade agreement with the Porte. The Ministry was of the opinion that it would be useful for the Principality if this agreement was concluded with the consent of Bulgaria (at that time, the agreements Turkey concluded were binding for its vassal provinces). Next year, in 1981 the Romanian King proposed to start negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement between Romania and Bulgaria.

In parallel with these first successful steps for negotiations with Romania, the Principality government endeavoured to extend the consular relations between the two countries. The Principality was strongly interested in opening a Bulgarian consulate or agency in Tulcea, where many Bulgarians lived, and made great efforts to bring round the Romanian side to agree to a consular convention with Bulgaria. By a telegram January 14, 1880, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ecclesiastical Matters instructed its agent in Bucharest Evlogi Georgiev to sound out the Romanian government as to opening a Bulgarian consulate or trade representation in Tulcea and accepting Dr. Minchovich as consul or trade representative. On January 18, 1880, the Bulgarian diplomatic agent in Bucharest acquainted the foreign ministry with the talks he had with the Romanian foreign minister Boerescu: He had sounded the minister’s opinion on the appointment of Dr. Minchovich as Bulgarian diplomatic agent in Tulcea. Minister Boerescu answered that he saw no grounds to object to such a decision, only suggested the title of the Bulgarian representative not to be “consul” or “vice consul” but “a trade agent”, so as to avoid difficulties in his recognition by the other consuls. To this effect is the telegram which Evlogi Georgiev sent from Bucharest to his minister: “Boerescu accepts Minchovich as agent in Tulcea in the capacity of trade agent”.

As a result of this probing, by decree of January 26, 1880, Prince Alexander Battenberg ordered the setting up of a Bulgarian trade agency in Tulcea. The former governor of Varna, Dr. Minchovich was appointed as trade agent there.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ecclesiastical Matters G. Nachovich assured his Romanian counterpart in writing that the trade agent in Tulcea appointed by the Bulgarian government, while defending the business interests of the Bulgarian citizens there “will maintain most cordial relations with the local authorities”. On February 19, 1880, Dr. Minchovich appeared before the Bulgarian diplomatic agent in Bucharest in anticipation of being presented to the Romanian authorities and then leave for his place of assignment. The charge d’affaires of the diplomatic agency, Puliev immediately went to Boerescu to inform him that, according to the verbal agreement between Evlogi Georgiev and the Romanian minister of January 17, 1880, Dr. Minchovich was appointed as trade agent in Tulcea and he was already in Bucharest awaiting an official presentation.

The result of this visit at the Foreign Ministry turned out quite unfavourable. It was explained to Evlogi Georgiev that Boerescu, who gave his consent for this appointment, subsequently met strong opposition on the part of some members of the cabinet and therefore no letter of recommendation could be issued for Dr. Minchovich to the prefect of Tulcea, because Dr. Minchovich would be treated as a consul which would bring on “foreign diplomatic difficulties” to the Romanian government. Turkey and other powers would protest because the peace treaty did not allow Bulgaria to have consuls. For the same reasons Boerescu himself now rejected the appointment of Minchovich as trade agent. Puliev ended his letter to the Bulgarian ministry with the unfavourable for the Bulgarian side conclusion, which he had reached after many talks: “I realized that the other ministers did not accept us to have an official representative in Dobrudja. I think Romania will not accept a Bulgarian agent in Braila or anywhere else.”

On August 8, 1880, Puliev informed that in spite of the telegram he sent about Romania’s firm refusal to accept officially a Bulgarian agent in Tulcea and recognise Minchovich, Foreign Minister Boerescu suggested to leave this matter to be resolved in time and the Bulgarian agent to go Tulcea. The Minister would recommend him to the prefect privately so that the latter would assist him in his work.

The problem aggravated despite the desire of the Romanian foreign minister to support the Bulgarian demand. The Bulgarian diplomatic agent in Bucharest received a copy of the note of August 30, 1880, sent by the Turkish foreign ministry to Sofia with reference to the consular jurisdiction, demanding that Articles 8 and 50 of the Berlin Treaty be observed. The Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dragan Tzankov expressed his surprise that the Romanian legation in Istanbul referred this issue to the Ottoman government at a time “when the agent of the Romanian government had frequent contacts with me in order to settle all questions and work in a most sincere spirit of reconciliation with the aim of regulating by special agreements the scope of consular jurisdiction between the two neighbouring states”. Tzankov was sure, however, that “this will not tarnish our good-will and we expect to have in return similar steps of pliancy on the part of the Romanian government”.