On the occasion of the 130th anniversary of the establishment of the Bulgarian state (1878), 2008 has been declared the year of Russia in Bulgaria and Bulgaria in Russia. It is not only the historical ties that connect the two countries, but also the new geopolitical realities that are today expressed more through the dynamics of the economic factor.

After a period of introspection, Putin's Russia is returning to the Balkans with the energy weapon of oil and natural gas. By signing agreements for the construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline and the South Stream gas pipeline, Bulgaria joined the global geopolitical game.

Greece, in turn, is the next energy hub for Russia. It is the first time that Greece and Bulgaria have the opportunity for an expanded economic collaboration as members of the European Union and NATO. Culturally, they belong to the West but also to our 'Eastern half'; their Euro-Atlantic orientation aligns with the development of all kinds of contacts with Russia.

This is the first time that the Russian presence in Bulgaria is not a source of concern for Greece, but rather an opportunity within the globalized economic system. 130 years ago, the emergence of Bulgarian hegemony as a Russian satellite was perceived in Athens as a threat to the broader interests of Hellenism.

There were three main issues that Athens had set for negotiation with Bulgaria, if circumstances were favorable: the rescue of the Hellenism of Eastern Rumelia, the lifting of the Bulgarian schism, and the delineation of spheres of influence in Macedonia. No agreements were reached on any of these, and Bulgaria, with its hegemonic syndrome, viewed Greece as a contemptible state.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]