As India prepares to celebrate its 78th Independence Day on 15 August 2025,
it does so as a confident and rising global actor poised to navigate an increasingly complex and fluid international environment. The certainties of the post-Cold War order have faded; the world is no longer unipolar, nor easily divided along ideological lines. A new multipolar landscape is taking shape - competitive, interconnected, and dynamic. In this evolving order, relationships once considered peripheral are gaining renewed strategic relevance. Against this backdrop, for India and Bulgaria - two democracies with ancient roots, rich intellectual traditions, and aspirations for global engagement - it is timely to transform their longstanding friendship into a strategic partnership.
India and Bulgaria formally established diplomatic relations in 1954, but the affinity between their peoples predates the modern state system. One of Bulgaria’s most revered national figures, Georgi Sava Rakovski, was among the first Europeans to engage deeply with Indian civilisation. A visionary, patriot, and scholar, Rakovski studied Sanskrit, admired India’s spiritual and philosophical heritage, and wrote passionately about the Indian people’s struggle against British colonialism - long before India gained its independence.
So inspired was Rakovski by India’s civilisational ethos and its resistance to foreign domination that he came to believe Bulgarians and Indians shared a common ancestry, rooted in ancient Indo-European traditions. His writings reveal a remarkable sense of intellectual solidarity - two nations united in their quest for dignity and sovereignty. His legacy lives on in New Delhi, where a government school bears his name: the Georgi S. Rakovski Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya. A statue of Rakovski stands proudly in its courtyard, a living tribute to a man who saw India not as a distant civilisation, but as a cultural sibling.
This philosophical kinship was further deepened in 1926, when Rabindranath Tagore, the great Indian poet and Nobel Laureate, visited Bulgaria. He was warmly received by the Bulgarian people and intellectual community. Tagore praised Bulgaria’s cultural richness and its profound yearning for freedom, highlighting the common thread between Indian spiritual traditions and Bulgaria’s moral resilience.
Today, this mutual respect is etched into Bulgaria’s public spaces. Statues of Mahatma Gandhi in Sofia and Varna stand as quiet yet powerful symbols of India’s enduring message of non-violence, truth, and peaceful resistance - values that resonate deeply with Bulgaria’s own national story.
While this shared admiration provides a solid historical foundation, the demands of the present call for a strategic upgrade in bilateral relations. The international order is undergoing a structural transformation. The war in Ukraine, intensifying US-China rivalry, and the growing influence of the Global South have led to a reassessment of alliances and strategic priorities. In this shifting context, India is emerging as a key pole in the multipolar world - valued for its democratic resilience, economic dynamism, and commitment to strategic autonomy.
Now the world’s most populous country and the fourth-largest economy, India is a technological powerhouse, leading in fields such as digital governance, space science, and pharmaceuticals. Its balanced foreign policy and principled global engagement have earned it credibility as a trusted partner across ideological divides. For Bulgaria - a member of both the European Union and NATO navigating a challenging regional environment - India represents an anchor of stability and a bridge to the Indo-Pacific, the world's most economically and strategically vital region.
Despite this potential, India–Bulgaria trade remains modest, at approximately USD 500 million. Yet the complementarities between the two economies are clear. Bulgaria’s strategic location, robust infrastructure, and skilled workforce make it an ideal entry point for Indian businesses seeking access to Southeast Europe and the broader EU market.
India, in turn, offers strengths in information technology, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and digital innovation. Indian pharmaceutical firms could collaborate with Bulgarian counterparts for local production, enhancing regional access to affordable medicines. Moreover, India’s expertise in digital public infrastructure—such as Aadhaar (digital ID), UPI (real-time payments), and CoWIN (vaccination platform)—could significantly support Bulgaria’s own digitalisation efforts.
Beyond economics, the people-to-people dimension remains the bedrock of this relationship. Thousands of Indian students have studied at Bulgarian universities, particularly in medicine, pharmacy, and engineering. Many return with a deep appreciation of Bulgaria’s hospitality and cultural warmth. Conversely, Bulgarian scholars have long contributed to the study of Indian civilisation, literature, and philosophy.
Still, much more can be done. Language programs, academic exchanges, joint degrees, and cultural festivals can help sustain long-term engagement. India’s global outreach through yoga, Ayurveda, and cuisine also provides soft power avenues for strengthening ties. Tourism, too, offers promise. With targeted promotion, Bulgaria could attract Indian travellers seeking Europe’s lesser-known, nature-rich, and historically vibrant destinations.
However, for this potential to be fully realised, political will must match cultural affinity. The Indian President’s visit to Sofia in 2018 was a welcome gesture, but high-level engagement has since been limited. Bulgaria should consider sending regular trade and academic delegations to India, hosting Indian business leaders in Sofia, and reviving dormant mechanisms such as the Joint Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.
Beyond bilateralism, trilateral dialogues involving India, Bulgaria, and regional partners like Greece or Serbia could explore cooperation in infrastructure, digital regulation, and connectivity - areas critical to 21st-century resilience.
As India raises its tricolour on 15 August, it will reflect on its long, non-violent struggle for freedom - a struggle admired by figures like Georgi Rakovski and later symbolised in Bulgaria by the statues of Mahatma Gandhi. But this admiration is not merely historical; it is a foundation for strategic partnership.
In a multipolar world, mature democracies like India and Bulgaria have a disproportionate role to play in promoting a more stable, inclusive, and just global order. By drawing on shared values, economic complementarities, and civilisational links, the two countries can craft a relationship that honours their past - and shapes their future.
*Dr. Dalbir Ahlawat is a Senior Lecturer in Security Studies at School of International Studies, Macquarie University, Australia. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The photo is provided by the Embassy of the Republic of India in the Republic of Bulgaria. On it: H. E. Mr. Arun Kumar Sahu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India /middle/ and Dr. Dalbir Ahlawat, Senior Lecturer in Security Studies at School of International Studies, Macquarie University, Australia /left/, during his visit to Bulgaria, at the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", where he delivered a public lecture on 10 July 2025.
