Blinken's Special Envoy is coming to Bulgaria to discuss Security

Derek Chollet, a senior US State Department official, will visit Sofia led by a US delegation from several federal agencies. This is part of a tour of Bulgaria, Romania and Belgium between February 7th and 11th, a foreign ministry spokesman said in Washington.

The topics of the talks in Bulgaria are related to the strategic dialogue on security, energy and the rule of law, which began two years ago. They will be discussed with government officials.

It is possible that the topic of security and European integration in the Western Balkans will arise. Chollet said on Twitter a few hours ago that he had talked with the Greek Foreign Ministry about "solidarity with Ukraine and efforts for stability in the Western Balkans."

I spoke with @GreeceMFA Secretary General Themos Demiris today about solidarity with Ukraine and efforts to promote stability in the Western Balkans. Greece is an essential Ally and partner.

— Derek Chollet (@CounselorDOS) February 3, 2022

Chollet's position is, in fact, a special adviser to the Secretary of State and a consultant on major foreign policy issues. He instructs the relevant directorates in the department on these issues, conducts special international negotiations and consultations, and is sometimes personally assigned special tasks by the US Secretary of State.

This time, his mission was described as "engaging with Europe's partners on a number of issues and consulting with NATO allies and EU partners on Russia's aggression against Ukraine".

In Romania, he would reaffirm the importance of the bilateral strategic partnership, especially "in the context of the deployment of US troops in defense of European allies in light of the build-up of...