May 18, 1987
Memorandum of the Bulgarian Department of Foreign Policy and International Relations on Afghanistan
Comrades,
Our Soviet comrades have proposed that the People's Republic of Bulgaria, together with the other countries of the socialist community provide additional help to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan with view to promoting the national reconciliation process.
The Secretary General of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan Nadzib at a meeting with the ambassadors of the socialist countries to Kabul, held on 12th April this year, declared that the PDPA and the DRA are in favor of strengthening and accelerating the relations with the fraternal socialist countries; more initiatives are expected on the latter's part, including initiatives in terms of an increase in the socio-economic assistance provided to Afghanistan.
The relations between the People's Republic of Bulgaria and DRA, between the BCP and the PDPA have been improving since December 1981, when the Treaty on the establishment of friendly relations and close cooperation was signed in Sofia.
The summit meetings held and treaties signed between the two countries have been of particular significance for the further development of our bilateral relations. In this respect an invitation to undertake an official friendly visit to the PR Bulgaria has been made to comrade Nadzib, Secretary General of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, on comrade Todor Zhivkov's behalf. Afghanistan suggests that this visit take place in the period 18th - 20th July or 12th - 14th August. The BCP and the PR Bulgaria have been actively supporting PDPA's policy and that of the revolutionary Board and DRA's government towards national reconciliation and normalizing the overall situation both within Afghanistan and in its neighboring countries by peaceful means; they firmly back up the friendly Afghani people's struggle to build a new, peaceful and independent and non-aligned Afghanistan.
A mass-scale exchange of delegations is being carried out. In 1986 our country was visited by the Politburo member of the CC of PDPA and prime minister of DRA Sultan Ali Kashtmand, the Politburo member of the CC of PDPA and deputy prime minister of DRA Mohamed Rhaffi, three ministers and other important politicians and state officials from Afghanistan. There have been several visits on the Bulgarian part since the beginning of 1987, such as: Krastyo Trichkov's, vice-president of the national council of the Fatherland Union, or Rumen Serbezov's, chairman of the Central Cooperative Union. There has been exchange visits of other party, state or public delegations. A sustainable legal framework, within which bilateral relations may develop, has been established.
So far our country has been providing and still provides significant socioeconomic assistance and aid to the DRA. This aid may be divided into the following items:
• a government credit of $31.3 mnl has been extended to fund the establishment of cattle-breeding farm, a chicken-breeding farm, a fishery, a pottery and leather-processing works, and other properties on Afghanistan's territory; the agreements already signed in this respect total $31 mil.
• a new government credit of $30 mil has been extended in 1986 to fund the designing of a brick works, the delivery and installation of its equipment, supplying with electricity villages throughout the country, building medium-size and small water-power stations, a mixed-type fodder plant, the expansion of a chicken-breeding farm, a fruit and vegetable-processing technological line;
• a credit line of 3mil exchange leva granted by the Central Cooperative Union in 1986;
• aid of over 1.5 mil exchange leva for telephone stations of the CC of PDPA and other organizations and agencies, textbooks, medicines, foods, shoeware, clothing and special equipment;
• experts sent to work in various industries of Afghanistan's economy
• covering fees and other expenses for the education of about 100 students annually at the universities and the Academy of Social Sciences and Economic Management (the ASSEM) at the CC of the BCP;
• covering fees and other expenses for an 11-year education of 20 Afghani orphans at boarding-schools in Bulgaria;
• covering all expenses, including travel and accommodation of all Afghani people visiting Bulgaria.
A sign of our solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and our support for PDPA and the DRA are the wide range of events organized in our country such as meetings, rallies, press conferences to honor such important historical events as the anniversary of the April Revolution (April 27th), the Day of Independence (August, 18th), the International Day of Solidarity with the people of Afghanistan (October, 25th).
We suggest that our country accept the Soviet comrades' proposal, and respond to PDPA's appeal to provide assistance to PDPA's policy of national reconciliation in Afghanistan.
We are therefore tabling a draft resolution of Politburo of the CC of the BCP, drawn up after considering the remarks and suggestion made by the following Politburo members: comrades Georgi Atanassov, Grisha Philipov, gen. Dobri Dzhurov, Petar Mladenov and Ognian Doinov. The financial aid for designing a new hospital in Kabul has been considered with the chairman of the Bulgarian Red Cross, K. Ignatov.
18 May 1987
First Deputy Head, CC BCP “Foreign Policy and International Relations” department
/K. Atanasov/
Our Soviet comrades have proposed that the People's Republic of Bulgaria, together with the other countries of the socialist community provide additional help to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan with view to promoting the national reconciliation process.
The Secretary General of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan Nadzib at a meeting with the ambassadors of the socialist countries to Kabul, held on 12th April this year, declared that the PDPA and the DRA are in favor of strengthening and accelerating the relations with the fraternal socialist countries; more initiatives are expected on the latter's part, including initiatives in terms of an increase in the socio-economic assistance provided to Afghanistan.
The relations between the People's Republic of Bulgaria and DRA, between the BCP and the PDPA have been improving since December 1981, when the Treaty on the establishment of friendly relations and close cooperation was signed in Sofia.
The summit meetings held and treaties signed between the two countries have been of particular significance for the further development of our bilateral relations. In this respect an invitation to undertake an official friendly visit to the PR Bulgaria has been made to comrade Nadzib, Secretary General of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, on comrade Todor Zhivkov's behalf. Afghanistan suggests that this visit take place in the period 18th - 20th July or 12th - 14th August. The BCP and the PR Bulgaria have been actively supporting PDPA's policy and that of the revolutionary Board and DRA's government towards national reconciliation and normalizing the overall situation both within Afghanistan and in its neighboring countries by peaceful means; they firmly back up the friendly Afghani people's struggle to build a new, peaceful and independent and non-aligned Afghanistan.
A mass-scale exchange of delegations is being carried out. In 1986 our country was visited by the Politburo member of the CC of PDPA and prime minister of DRA Sultan Ali Kashtmand, the Politburo member of the CC of PDPA and deputy prime minister of DRA Mohamed Rhaffi, three ministers and other important politicians and state officials from Afghanistan. There have been several visits on the Bulgarian part since the beginning of 1987, such as: Krastyo Trichkov's, vice-president of the national council of the Fatherland Union, or Rumen Serbezov's, chairman of the Central Cooperative Union. There has been exchange visits of other party, state or public delegations. A sustainable legal framework, within which bilateral relations may develop, has been established.
So far our country has been providing and still provides significant socioeconomic assistance and aid to the DRA. This aid may be divided into the following items:
• a government credit of $31.3 mnl has been extended to fund the establishment of cattle-breeding farm, a chicken-breeding farm, a fishery, a pottery and leather-processing works, and other properties on Afghanistan's territory; the agreements already signed in this respect total $31 mil.
• a new government credit of $30 mil has been extended in 1986 to fund the designing of a brick works, the delivery and installation of its equipment, supplying with electricity villages throughout the country, building medium-size and small water-power stations, a mixed-type fodder plant, the expansion of a chicken-breeding farm, a fruit and vegetable-processing technological line;
• a credit line of 3mil exchange leva granted by the Central Cooperative Union in 1986;
• aid of over 1.5 mil exchange leva for telephone stations of the CC of PDPA and other organizations and agencies, textbooks, medicines, foods, shoeware, clothing and special equipment;
• experts sent to work in various industries of Afghanistan's economy
• covering fees and other expenses for the education of about 100 students annually at the universities and the Academy of Social Sciences and Economic Management (the ASSEM) at the CC of the BCP;
• covering fees and other expenses for an 11-year education of 20 Afghani orphans at boarding-schools in Bulgaria;
• covering all expenses, including travel and accommodation of all Afghani people visiting Bulgaria.
A sign of our solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and our support for PDPA and the DRA are the wide range of events organized in our country such as meetings, rallies, press conferences to honor such important historical events as the anniversary of the April Revolution (April 27th), the Day of Independence (August, 18th), the International Day of Solidarity with the people of Afghanistan (October, 25th).
We suggest that our country accept the Soviet comrades' proposal, and respond to PDPA's appeal to provide assistance to PDPA's policy of national reconciliation in Afghanistan.
We are therefore tabling a draft resolution of Politburo of the CC of the BCP, drawn up after considering the remarks and suggestion made by the following Politburo members: comrades Georgi Atanassov, Grisha Philipov, gen. Dobri Dzhurov, Petar Mladenov and Ognian Doinov. The financial aid for designing a new hospital in Kabul has been considered with the chairman of the Bulgarian Red Cross, K. Ignatov.
18 May 1987
First Deputy Head, CC BCP “Foreign Policy and International Relations” department
/K. Atanasov/
This document highlights the steps taken by the Bulgarian government to facilitate rapprochement with Afghanistan. The broad aid to Afghan social, political, and economic infrastructure is discussed in detail.
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Central State Archive, Sofia, Fond 1-B, Opis 68, File 87. Obtained by the Bulgarian Cold War Research Group.
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