Medium-sized countries always have common interests

H.E. Mr. Philippe Beke, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Belgium to Bulgaria

Philippe Beke was born on June 8, 1954, in Brugge. He has Master’s Degree in contemporary history and international and European law.

He started his diplomatic career as First Secretary at the Belgian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1987. He consecutively occupied the positions of Counselor at the Belgian Embassy in Cairo, Egypt; advisor at the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs; Consul General of Belgium in Milan, Italy; Deputy Chief of the Cabinet of the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, and Chief of the Cabinet of the Commissioner for the dioxin crisis. In the period 2000–2003 he has been working at the Permanent Representation of Belgium at the European Union as Belgian negotiator on enlargement. Since 2003 he is Ambassador of Belgium to Bulgaria also accredited in FYROM.

Ambassador Beke is married with two children.

Your Excellency, 125 years ago Belgium established diplomatic relations with Bulgaria. In what context did these relations develop?
The fact that a long time before the Liberation of Bulgaria, the Kingdom of Belgium had opened consular representations on Bulgarian territory – in Varna (1848) and in Russe (1868), is indicative of the Belgian industrial presence in the country. The bilateral relations with Belgium in these days were based in the first place on economy and then on politics. It is important to note that in the period before the First World War, Belgium was the second economic power in the world with investments focused on tram transportation and the production of electrical power, coal industry and metallurgy.

After the end of the Russian–Turkish war (1877–1878) and the signing of the Berlin Treaty, Belgium appointed its Consul General in Turnovo, whose office was moved to the new capital of Sofia after the adoption of the Constitution. Until 1914, Belgium maintained its consulates in Varna and Russe and opened new ones in Plovdiv and Bourgas. The Bulgarian Constitution was patterned on the Belgian one – the most modern and liberal constitution for its time; the country also adopted the same slogan “Unity brings Strength”. Also the Bulgarian coat of arms was inspired by the Belgian coat of arms. The relations between the members of the Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha family, this is between King Ferdinand I and King Leopold II, were excellent in the first decades of Bulgaria. In the same trend, the newly-established Bulgarian National Bank sought in Belgium among others, the best models to begin its work. After the Declaration of Bulgaria’s Independence in 1908 and its international recognition in 1909, the two countries opened legations in their capitals. As a result, the Belgian representation in Sofia was no longer headed by a Consul General but by a Minister Plenipotentiary. In the same way, the Bulgarian Minister Plenipotentiary in Paris received accreditation for Belgium as well.

How did the industrial circles in Belgium view Bulgaria after 1879?
The economic relations between the two countries enhanced after 1879 and especially in the beginning of the 19th century. Up to 1936, Belgium was not only the biggest investor but also one of the leading importers of Bulgarian commodities, mainly agricultural goods. The tram system in Sofia, the Sofia electricity company, the sugar companies in Sofia and Russe, the water supply company in Plovdiv and the match factory in Kostenets are just a few of the examples of the Belgian presence in the country before the First World War.

The Belgian bankers had humble participation in the loans, granted to Bulgaria, which, however, did not interfere with the presence of the French-Belgian and the Balkan bank on the Bulgarian market. Many Bulgarian students received their education in Belgium – mainly in engineering and trade.

How did these relations develop in the period after the First World War and by the end of the Second World War?
The events after 1936–1939 and particularly those after 1944, slowed down the development of the economic relations between the two nations. Trade relations continued to exist in the period until 1989 however they are not as intensive. Belgium participated in the initiatives of the Plovdiv Fair, it had contacts with large Bulgarian companies, which focused both on the trade in facilities, mainly machines, and on the purchase of ready-made products – such as those of the Balkancar company as well as various jams and fruit. At that time the joint committees are used as reference only.

As for the field of culture, there were Bulgarian participations in Belgium, for example in Thеаtre de la Monnaie in the 1960s. Bulgarian folklore was presented at various festivals – such as the festival in Schoten, which is one of the most significant events of this kind in Europe. And although there was not a big flow in the field of tourism, in the 1950s until the 1980s the Belgian tourists did show certain interest in the cultural riches of Bulgaria and the upsurge of tourism on the Black Sea coast.