Bulgaria–Italy relations are foreign relations between
Bulgaria and
Italy. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1879. Bulgaria has an embassy in
Rome and a general consulate in
Milan. Italy has an embassy in
Sofia. Both countries are full members of the
European Union,
NATO,
OSCE,
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...
and the
World Trade Organization.
Italy has given full support to Bulgaria's membership in the
European Union and
NATO.
History
The territories of the modern nations of Bulgaria and Italy formed part of the ancient
Roman Empire.
Troops from
Bulgaria and the Italian states of
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
,
Genoa and
Savoy
Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps.
Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south.
Savo ...
fought together as part of a larger European coalition at the
Battle of Nicopolis
The Battle of Nicopolis took place on 25 September 1396 and resulted in the rout of an allied crusader army of Hungarian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, French, Burgundian, German, and assorted troops (assisted by the Venetian navy) at ...
in 1396 in an attempt to stop the
Ottoman invasion of Bulgaria. In 1444,
Bulgarian insurgents of
Fruzhin and troops from the Italian
Papal States fought together at the
Battle of Varna, also as part of a larger European coalition, in an attempt to repel the Ottoman invasion of Europe and liberate the already conquered nations of
Southeast Europe, including Bulgaria.
Both countries were members of the
Axis powers during
World War II, allies of
Nazi Germany and the
Japanese Empire
The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...
, however both eventually switched allegiance to the
Allies
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
.
Economic relations
Italy is one of Bulgaria's main trading partners. In 2019, Italy was the third largest source of imports and export destination for Bulgaria.
Diplomatic missions
;Republic of Bulgaria
*
Rome (Embassy)
*
Milan (Consulate-General)
;Republic of Italy
*
Sofia (Embassy)
See also
*
Foreign relations of Bulgaria
*
Foreign relations of Italy
*
Bulgarians in Italy
The Bulgarians in Italy are one of the sizable communities of the Bulgarian diaspora in Western Europe. There are about 120,000 Bulgarians in Italy according to the Bulgarian government. There are Bulgarian Orthodox parishes in Rome and Milan. Ma ...
References
External links
Bulgarian embassy in RomeBulgarian general consulate in MilanItalian embassy in Sofia
Italy
Bilateral relations of Italy
{{Bilateralrelations-stub