Negotiating with the enemy: the normalization of Greek–Bulgarian relations, 1960–1964

Greek–Soviet relations 1959–1962: the Greek response to the Kremlin's challenge

“…The new Soviet offensive on Greece also coincided with the last phase of the reparation negotiations with Bulgaria (a process that had started in 1954 and was successfully concluded in 1964), which led to a temporary deterioration of Greek-Bulgarian relations. 57 In January 1961, the Greek ambassador to Moscow, Georgios Christopoulos, had a lengthy conversation with the new director-general of the Fifth European Department of the Soviet Foreign Ministry, Sergei Timofeevich Astavin (who would go on to serve as ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus from 1973 to 1986). Christopoulos referred to the challenges of bilateral relations and attacks in the Soviet press.…”

Revisiting NATO’s stabilizing role in south-eastern Europe: the Cold War experience and thelongue durée

“…Thus, in June 1964, Greece and Bulgaria settled the problem of reparations, and this agreement was followed in September by a Bulgarian official statement that Sofia harboured no territorial claims over Greece. This was a crucial development -a statement which the Greeks had agonizingly but unsuccessfully sought since 1919 -and, removing from the picture the poisonous problem of territorial claims, it greatly contributed towards the restoration of mutual confidence (Hatzivassiliou 2004). …”

Managing the “Helsinki Spirit” in the Balkans: The Greek Initiative for Balkan Co-operation, 1975–1976

“…20 Accordingly, the period of 1960-1964 saw the normalisation of Greek-Bulgarian relations for the first time since 1913 with the signing of twelve agreements on unsettled financial and economic matters, including the thorny issue of war reparations. 21 Similarly, Turkey stimulated diplomatic contacts with Bulgaria that culminated in the signature of several agreements between 1964 and 1968. 22 One of the most important manifestations of this renewed interest for any form of Balkan cooperation remained the close relationship between Yugoslavia and Romania.…”