Relationship dossier
Bulgaria
Israel
Relationship assessment
Bulgaria and Israel maintain cooperative ties, including security cooperation and government-level engagement.
Bulgaria toward Israel
+35Bulgarian authorities investigated the 2012 Burgas airport bombing, which killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian national, and attributed responsibility to Hezbollah. Bulgarian and Israeli governments have also pursued cooperation in security and other sectors.
Israel toward Bulgaria
+35The Israeli government has engaged Bulgaria in bilateral cooperation, including security cooperation following the 2012 Burgas airport bombing. The countries have also pursued cooperation in areas such as defense, agriculture and technology.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship combines sustained government engagement and cooperation in security and civilian sectors. The Bulgarian investigation into the Burgas bombing, which targeted Israeli tourists, is a significant shared security issue. The breadth and practical depth of bilateral cooperation remain unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Bulgaria and Israel maintain a cooperative relationship, including government-level engagement and security cooperation. Bulgaria investigated the 2012 Burgas airport bombing, which killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian national, and attributed responsibility to Hezbollah. The countries have also pursued cooperation in areas including defense, agriculture and technology. The scope and implementation of these arrangements are not fully clear.
Key developments
Bulgaria and Israel restored diplomatic relations after a period in which they had been severed.
A suicide bombing at Burgas airport killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian national; Bulgarian authorities investigated and attributed responsibility to Hezbollah.
The two governments held a joint meeting and pursued cooperation in areas including defense, agriculture and technology.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral security and defense cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of recent government cooperation across civilian sectors is uncertain.