Received in audience by His Holiness Pope John Paul II, on May 24th, 1994

I focused on a series of events which were in the centre of public attention in the period after 1989, such as the role and significance of the National Round Table from the beginning of 1990, the issues facing the opposition at the time, the birth of the democratic media, the parliamentary elections for a Grand National Assembly, the students' strike of 1990, the adoption of the new Constitution, the hunger strike of the 39 opposition Members of Parliament, the attempts to open up the archives of State Security, the challenges facing the 36th National Assembly.

In a sense, the book is dialogical, you can argue with it. Therefore, I say that not everything we experienced during these years was according to “scenario”. But I am convinced that without a scenario we would have moved faster towards the goal. And for me the single goal has always been the people in Bulgaria to live better and to be part of a better world.

The book does not stop at the re-counting and assessment of political events. The reader will also find reflections on the comparison between our transition and what I witnessed as an ambassador to Poland. This is my “diplomatic journal”. I think what will also be of interest is the description of my meetings with well-known personalities such as Ronald Reagan, Lech Walesa, Emperor Akihito and Andrzej Waida, Pope John Paul II, Queen Gioanna's visit to Sofia, Yordan Radichkov and Toncho Zhechev, my impressions from meetings in Denmark, Japan, the USA, Poland, and of course several articles which found a broad response in the Republic of Macedonia and in which for the first time a Bulgarian politician and diplomat expressed our position on the so-called “hot” historical issues: the rescue of Bulgarian Jews during the Second World War, the participation of the Bulgarian army in the liberation of Macedonia from fascism, etc.

What is your impression of the way in which Bulgaria is seen in the countries where you have served as an ambassador?
The attitude to us in Poland is exceptionally positive. I think we have more to learn from the Polish people: about the reforms process, the way they uphold their priorities and interests within the EU, their principled foreign policy.

We have good relationships with the Baltic countries as well.

The Republic of Macedonia is the country where we need to develop closest friendly relations and initiate a more active policy. This is what the Macedonian citizens expect from us. In Macedonia there is still a “Yugoslavian” story about Bulgaria, but gradually the younger generation understand that it reflects an ideological view of the past and is false. I am glad that an increasing number of people, politicians and political parties in Macedonia see Bulgaria as their best neighbour and friend, as a sort of a motor which can drive the region towards integration with NATO and the EU.

What is your view of politics in the Balkans and our role in it?
Bulgarian foreign policy needs to think globally, to take into account the new realities and challenges in the world, and at the same time be active regionally to demonstrate and uphold the advancement of Bulgaria in a regional context. Our experience in the pursuit of democracy, market economy and integration within NATO and the EU is valuable in the region, which is sometimes called “Western Balkans”. Our anticipated success – as new entrants to the EU – has a regional dimension. In other words, we can and should offer a positive example. We need to first excel at home for others to follow our example.

What is your view of the current coalition government and Bulgaria's road in a global context?
It is obvious that given the election results and the heavy losses suffered by the right wing parties (due to their internal conflicts and problems) the current government was the only feasible alternative. Working in a coalition is a great political art, a difficult art, but this was the only option in the present political reality. The coalition principle will be acquiring increasing importance in modern politics, both in the state government and in the inter-party relations. This is how it is in modern Europe, which we seek to join. I think it is the duty of every political party and politician today to support the efforts of the government to attain the historical goal of joining the EU in 2007.

It is also time we learned to recognise and promote Bulgaria's achievements. It is not possible to live forever in an atmosphere of pessimism and negative attitudes. I believe in Bulgaria as a country of success. And in these times of global challenges faced by the democratic world, I would like to see us as part of the solution and not the problem. We should be defending democracy and freedom for everyone and be part of the effort to defeat terrorism. This is why I'd like to see the Bulgarian flag in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in other places where people need help and support. We should not forget however that our region is where the success of our policy has the greatest impact. Our success should also become success for our neighbours.

Would you share with us your creative plans for the future? Not long ago you were publishing the “Century 21” newspaper. Do you intend to resume it or do you have other plans?
I am currently working on 2 new books. One is a literary study and the other a diplomatic account. The first one contains my studies on the “circle of modernity” and the “labyrinth of the left” in Bulgarian literature. The second tells about my work in the Republic of Macedonia. It sets forth my perspective on the development of Bulgarian-Macedonian relations, past and present. It will introduce the readers to events and political personalities which are little known in Bulgaria. I think it will present Bulgarian readers with an opportunity to learn a lot in this area.

At the same time I remain very interested in current events in Bulgaria. I am a part of Bulgarian politics, of the “beautiful days of Bulgarian democracy” and I see the 8 years of my “diplomatic period” as a continuation of my political activity. During all that time – in politics and diplomacy – I have worked for Bulgaria. And I want to continue doing that. As far as “Century 21” goes, this was an event in our cultural and political media in the beginning of the transition. It could be revived today if we try to “break the Scenario”!