Bulgaria Participates in High-Level Conference Marking the 50th Anniversary of the Signing of the Helsinki Final Act
03 August 2025 News
On 31 July 2025, a Bulgarian delegation led by Gergana Karadjova, Director General for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, took part in a High-Level Conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act. The commemorative event, organised by the Finnish Chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), took place in the historic Finlandia Hall in Helsinki – the very venue where, half a century ago, leaders of 35 states from both sides of the Iron Curtain signed the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. The document established new principles for international cooperation in political-military affairs, the economy, environmental protection, and human rights. It contributed to de-escalation during the height of the Cold War and laid down universally accepted norms of conduct, including the inviolability of borders and territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs, the renunciation of the use of force, peaceful resolution of conflicts, and respect for human rights.
In her opening remarks, Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland and current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, emphasised the continued relevance of these principles. She described them as the product of political will, trust, and a desire for cooperation—a moral compass in times of instability and insecurity such as the present. She underscored that Russia’s ongoing military aggression against Ukraine, in breach of many of these principles, calls for even stronger defence of these values, including through holding perpetrators accountable and establishing a lasting and just peace in Ukraine.
Addresses to the attendees were also delivered via video link by President of Finland Alexander Stubb, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as well as in-person by OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioğlu and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. Other prominent participants in the conference panels included the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Slovenia, Malta, Albania, and Mongolia, deputy ministers from OSCE participating States, and notable representatives of civil society. As part of the forum, the official establishment of the “Helsinki+50 Fund” was announced. The fund will provide additional financing for the OSCE’s core activities, aimed at preserving and more effectively implementing the principles of the Helsinki Final Act.
The conference was followed on 1 August by a working-level discussion involving political directors from OSCE participating and partner States. Discussions focused on the future of the Organisation, the implementation of its mandate, and the application of the Helsinki principles in the context of escalating confrontation and attacks on Europe’s security architecture and the established international legal order.
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