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Document No. 145: Letter from the Bulgarian CC to the Romanian CC, June 21, 1989 ——————————————————————————————————————————— In this letter to the Romanian Central Committee, the Bulgarian CC argues its case for a different approach to reforming the Warsaw Treaty (see Document Nos. 133 and 144). It particularly regards the Warsaw Pact as a “key factor for security and stability in Europe.” ____________________ Dear Comrades, The CC of the BCP has carefully examined your proposals of July 4, 1988, regarding the organization, improvement, and democratization of the Warsaw Treaty bodies and activities. We share your opinion about the necessity of further improving the Warsaw Treaty’s political and military cooperation mechanism, which at present is especially topical. At the PCC Warsaw meeting in July 1988, this question was put before our parties and states as a primary task. We also believe that positive changes in international relations, arms reduction, confidence building, and European and world cooperation will create the necessary prerequisites for military–political groupings to simultaneously disband their military organizations. In the future, we will work toward achieving this aim. At the same time, realism requires admitting that conditions are not yet mature, as can be seen from the lack of any change in NATO’s negative position in this respect. In the present circumstances, the Warsaw Treaty provides a unique basis for cooperation among our socialist countries, an inseparable element and key factor for security and stability in Europe whose vitality and effectiveness have once again been confirmed with its renewal in 1985. Its unilateral demise would destroy this stability. We have no doubt about the necessity of preserving the PCC as the main unit in thestructureofpoliticalandmilitarycooperationwithintheWarsawTreaty.Removing it from this structure would lead to disorganization of the mechanisms of cooperation . We share the opinion that it is necessary to direct the PCC’s activity towards a broader discussion among our countries in the spheres of the construction of socialism and multilateral cooperation. We should exchange experiences in the socio-economic and ideological development of our people to foster the development of socialist democracy. This would fully conform to current trends in international relations, including the increasing role of non-military factors in international security. We do not see legal or organizational difficulties in integrating these issues into the PCC’s normal activities in accordance with our mutually expressed desire. Dissolving the PCC would be contrary to our views regarding the most effective way toward the simultaneous disbanding of the military–political alliances in Europe 642 by further strengthening the political element of their activities and establishing nonconfrontational relations. Depriving the Warsaw Treaty of its main political organ would strengthen its military aspect and undermine our efforts in that direction. The idea of creating a political body for multilateral cooperation among the European socialist countries could become topical in the future, once the international situation allows for the disbanding of the military–political groupings. As you know, we have made several proposals for strengthening the political functions of these groupings and for their increasing cooperation, while enhancing their democracy as well as their effectiveness. In our opinion, the creation of a permanent working group would contribute to this process as well as to the promotion of the coordinating functions of the PCC general secretary, and improvement of the activities of the PCC and other working groups. According to us, this practice has proven the vitality of the Committee of the Ministers of Defense as well as its structure, role, place and function, as defined in the PCC’s decision of March 17,1969. At the same time, we share the opinion that it is necessary to further democratize the military cooperation mechanism within the network of the Treaty, as well as the working style of the CMD, and to ensure closer cooperation between the political and military structures. In conclusion, we would like to express our hope that the exchange of opinion between our parties on the questions you posed will play a positive role in our joint efforts toward the further improvement of political and military cooperation within the Warsaw Treaty, and will give them an additional impulse. We are convinced that by using a constructive approach and mutual respect, our partiesandstateswillfindmutuallyacceptablesolutionstopoliticalquestions.Holding a joint meeting of the Committees of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Defense in the near future would be an important step in carrying out our decision of July 1988. We are ready to make the necessary effort to...

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