Politics often suffers from a short memory. Especially when a gap opens between loud promises and reality, which can hardly be filled with press conferences and diplomatic formulations.
Two months ago, Prime Minister Rumen Radev assured that in his conversation with US President Donald Trump he had raised the issue of abolishing visas for Bulgarian citizens very clearly. He even linked the topic to the stay of American tanker planes at Sofia Airport. The message was categorical – Bulgaria is a strategic ally, but it also expects reciprocity.
Today, however, the agenda seems different.
The government is already proposing that the National Assembly authorize the deployment of up to eight American KC-135 aircraft, up to 250 military personnel and related equipment at the Bezmer military base to support US operations in the Middle East. The request comes after an official diplomatic note from the US embassy, received back in June.
And here the question inevitably arises: Where are the visas?
Because there is no decision yet. There is not even an indication that Washington has taken a concrete step towards including Bulgaria in the Visa Waiver program. And if the topic was previously presented as an important diplomatic priority, today it is almost absent from the public conversation.
The other interesting point is the political reading of the situation.
The Prime Minister explains that such a decision must be made by the National Assembly. Formally, this is so. The law requires that the parliament grant permission for such a deployment of foreign armed forces.
However, there is one detail.
The ruling majority has 131 members of parliament. That is, if there is political will, the decision can be adopted without a single vote from the opposition. Of course, support will most likely come from other parliamentary forces that have already stated a positive position. But when the ruling party itself has the necessary majority, the argument "parliament will decide" sounds more like a political division of responsibility than a real institutional dilemma.
There is another difference compared to the previous situation.
A few months ago, American planes were stationed at the Sofia civil airport. The public received explanations about "training activities" and logistical necessity. A little later, however, official American representatives thanked Bulgaria for supporting operations in the Middle East, which showed that the real goal was different from what was initially presented.
Now at least there is more honesty.
No one claims that this is about training. Officially, it is said that the planes will support American operations in the Middle East. This is at least an honest conversation with the public.
The choice of Bezmer also seems logical. The military base was created precisely for such tasks, has the necessary infrastructure and provides a far higher level of security than a civil airport like Sofia. If such equipment is to be deployed in Bulgaria anyway, its natural place is precisely at a military facility.
The timing aspect also remains curious.
The government announced that the diplomatic note was received on June 17. This means that talks between Sofia and Washington had been going on for weeks before the topic became public. Such documents are not written in a day, nor are they submitted without prior political coordination. Therefore, hardly anyone in the Council of Ministers was surprised by the American request.
In fact, the question is not whether Bulgaria should fulfill its allied commitments. As a member of NATO, the country has its obligations and they have been known for a long time. The real question is another. When two months ago a condition was set for visas, and today we are already discussing a new deployment of American aircraft without any result on this topic, the public has the right to ask:
What did Bulgaria actually get?
Because a strategic partnership is most sustainable when it is two-way. And for now, the planes are coming. Parliament will most likely approve them. Only the visas are still missing.