Bulgarian–Egyptian Relations during the Cold War: Political Economy, Propaganda, and Competing Narratives

Bulgarian Historical Review, 54 (2026), No. 3, pp. 141-163
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71069/BHR3.26.NFAA05

Nadya Filipova, Abdallah Abdel-Ati Al-Naggar

Assoc. Prof. Nadya Filipova, PhD - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Historical Studies; Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Department of Arabic and Semitic Studies; Researcher ID (Web of Science): AAI-9341-2020, https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/2273254, Scopus Author ID: 57214897355, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-2762-3630, E-mail: nadyafd@abv.bg

Dr. habil. Abdallah Abdel-Ati Al-Naggar - Doctoral School of Safety and Security Sciences, Africa Research Institute Óbuda University, Hungary Academy of Scientific Research & Technology, Egypt; https://elte-hu.academia.edu/ABDALLAHALNAGGAR; ORCID ID: 0000-0002-9646-6643, E-mail: abdallah.abdel@btk.elte.hu & Abdallah.alnagggar@gmail.com

Abstract: This study explores Bulgarian-Egyptian relations during the Cold War as a history of shifting political interests, uneven public narratives, and carefully managed propaganda. It argues that the two countries’ relationship was repeatedly shaped by a gap between what was said publicly and what was assessed privately, especially at moments of regional crisis, economic bargaining, and diplomatic tension. Drawing primarily on Bulgarian archival materials and the press of both countries, the article follows this relationship from the postwar years to the late 1980s. It shows how each side redefined the other according to changing political needs: first through trade and anti-colonial solidarity, then through the UAR period and the Arab-Israeli conflict, later amid President Sadat’s reorientation and the 1978 rupture, and finally during the cautious rapprochement of the 1980s. Rather than simply echoing policy, propaganda helped frame expectations, soften contradictions, and shape how both societies understood the other.

Keywords: Bulgaria, Egypt, Cold War, propaganda, political and economic relations, public discourse

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