Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova raised the issue of Bulgaria’s accession to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program during talks with Allison Hooker on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden.
According to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, Petrova stressed that Sofia wants the process accelerated and pointed to Bulgaria’s fulfillment of the required technical criteria for joining the program. She underlined that lifting tourist and business visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens would reflect the strategic partnership between Bulgaria and the United States more fairly.
“Bulgaria has fulfilled the technical criteria,” Petrova emphasized during the discussions, while also highlighting the political importance of visa-free travel for Bulgarian citizens.
The American side confirmed that Washington remains committed to continuing talks on the matter. Although no specific timeline was announced, the issue once again emerged as a priority in bilateral relations between the two NATO allies.
During the meeting, the two sides also discussed broader strategic cooperation. Bulgaria and the United States reaffirmed their intention to deepen collaboration in security and defense, modernization of the Bulgarian armed forces, energy diversification, trade, investment, as well as science and technology.
