This material is part of the memoirs, which will be published in the autumn of 2005,
dedicated to the anniversaries

The admission of Bulgaria to the United Nations

Ivan Garvalov
Ambassador, former first deputy minister of foreign affairs, chairman of the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, chairman of the Commission on Human Rights, chairman of the Special Committee on Enhancing the Effectiveness of the Principle of Non-Use of Force in International Relations, chairman of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, member of the steering committee of the UN Society in Bulgaria

This year Bulgaria marks the fiftieth anniversary of its membership in the largest world intergovernmental organization. Since it joined UN on December 14, 1955, Bulgaria has been an active participant in its diverse activities.

After World War II, the Paris Peace Conference took place between July 29 and October 15, 1946. There the allied states – the USA, Great Britain, France and the USSR – elaborated the peace treaties with the German allies during the war – Bulgaria, Italy, Romania, Hungary and Finland. The peace treaties were singed on February 10, 1947, in Paris. Under these treaties, the five former German allies were allowed to restore their sovereignty in international relations and prepare for membership in UN.

Article 4 of the Charter set forth the conditions for membership in the organization: “1. Membership in the United Nations is open to all other peace-loving states which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations.”

Bulgaria had good grounds to claim membership in UN. Already on October 9, 1948, the vice premier and minister of foreign affairs of Bulgaria Vasil Kolarov sent a telegram to the UN Secretary General Trigve Lie in Paris, where the regular session of the General Assembly was held, informing him that this telegram is an official declaration that “Bulgaria accepts the obligations under the Charter”.

But in the Security Council no agreement was reached on the admission to the UN not only of Bulgaria but of other countries too. There was no consensus between the “great powers”, which were permanent members of the Security Council – the USA, Great Britain, France, China (Taiwan) and the USSR.

Very soon after the founding of the UN the great powers came in sharp confrontation. The world entered the Cold War, which with the exception of one or two short-lived attempts at “unfreezing”, went on to the end of 1989.

In this situation, the European countries, which belonged to the Soviet or the Western bloc, could not join UN. It is not accidental that in the course of ten years after the organization was founded, in the period 1945–1955, only nine states were admitted into it: Afghanistan, Island, Sweden and Thailand (1946), Pakistan and Yemen (1947), Burma (1948), Israel (1949) and Indonesia (1950).

In May 1950 the Korean War broke out and practically foiled any attempts of admission of new members in the UN. Only after its end in 1953 efforts in this direction were renewed.

In 1953 the Security Council had a list of 18 candidate countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Mongolia, Austria, Italy, Finland, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Cambodia, Ceylon, Japan, Jordan, Laos, Nepal and Libya.

For the USA, Great Britain and France the admission of “communist” states in the UN was unacceptable. Besides, they were apprehensive that a significant enlargement would change the balance of powers in the organization, where they held the majority in those days.

Naturally, the USSR insisted on the admission of Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, binding it in a package with Austria, Finland and Ireland. As regards Spain, Portugal and Italy, the USSR disapproved. The most controversial candidature for the USSR however was that of Japan, because the two stated had not signed a peace treaty.

On its part China (Taiwan) firmly objected against the admission of Mongolia.

Concerning Bulgaria there was yet another complication – the Balkan Committee. It was set up as a result of the Greek complaint to UN in 1947 against Albania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, accusing them of active support of General Markos in the Greek Civil War (1947–1953). As a UN member state, Yugoslavia was able to participate in the discussions and defend itself, whereas Albania and Bulgaria did not have this opportunity. The Balkan Committee was given mandate by the UN to make a poll in the northern parts of Greece, along the borders with Albania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, and even “enter the territories” of the accused states. This issue became very intricate, the UN passed resolutions on it, etc. and it was used against Albania and Bulgaria to foil their admission to UN membership.

The consultations in the Security Council on the admission of the 18 candidate members again came to a dead-end during the eighth (1953) and ninth (1954) regular sessions of the General Assembly. Most UN member states did not like this situation. They worried that the enlargement of the organization was lagging behind. At these two sessions resolutions were passed on the issue, clearly showing this attitude.