Bulgarian Embassy in the U.S. sends out official invitations using the Chevron logo

The Bulgarian Embassy in Washington will host an official reception to mark the Bulgarian national holiday - 3 March, Bulgaria's Liberation Day with the 'kind coopertion' of 4 large transnational U.S. companies. A facsimile of the invitation mailed on behalf of our Bulgarian Ambassador in the USA, Elena Poptodorova was circulated yesterday by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO). It clearly shows that the second page contains the company logos of Chevron, TransAtlantic Petroleum, Sun Edison and Honeywell.

According to the IMRO, it is really not acceptable to have Chevron as sponsors of such an official event,  provided that currently in Bulgaria there are some accusations against this company for lobbyist interfering in the political process in the country.

"This is not a precedent, especially in times of crisis. There are even developed countries, where the invitations for similar receptions indicate the exact sponsor of the event," commented before Klassa daily, Ivaylo Kalfin, MEP the group of Socialists and the Democrats and former foreign minister in the Stanishev cabinet. Kalfin highlighted that it was a well-established practice for the sponsors in the host country to be large national companies. A similar practice was also followed by the U.S. Embassy in Sofia.

"The issue of lobbism here is out of the question, but my personal opinion is that it is better not to organise such events, rather than witnessing cases like the one we are currently discussing," retorted Kalfin said.
According to the MEP from the ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) group, Antonyia Parvanova, it is hardly normal for reception invitations on the occasion of national holiday to list sponsors as foreign companies.

"My feeling is that this is inappropriate. It seems like lobbism from all viewpoints," commented Parvanova before Klassa. According to her, it was similar to the impossible situation when the invitations to be mailed by the President on the occasion of the official holiday 3 March already contain similar logos of foreign companies.

This is outrageous and degrading, reckoned the MP from Ataka, Pavel Shopov. He was adamant that Chevron was not sponsoring the official reception of the Bulgarian Embassy in the USA as a result of friendly feelings, but "hoping as the consecutive colonizer to approach the Bulgarian national treasures." Shopov reminded that thousands of Bulgarians had protested against the company's intentions to seek shale gas deposits.