Bulgaria
Bulgaria boycotted the negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2017 and has consistently voted against the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty, including in 2025. It may sign and ratify or accede to the TPNW, but will have to make changes to its policies and practices to become compliant.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1969) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1999, Annex 2 state) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2009) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2009) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1972) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1994) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Test | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Non-compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted no (2025) |
| Participated in 3MSP (2025) | No |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | N/A |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | No |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted no |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | Cleared |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
In the Conference on Disarmament in February 2025, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, Georg Danielov Georgiev, said: ‘Any meaningful discussion on disarmament must take into consideration the prevailing security environment.’ Furthermore, he said, achieving progress in arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation ‘will not be possible without constructive dialogue, rebuilding trust, and working together’.1
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting in April 2025, Bulgaria said: ‘Any advance in nuclear disarmament is only possible within the NPT framework, through a progressive and gradual approach based on practical steps and with due regard to the complex security environment of today.’ It warned that a ‘weakened nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime would undoubtedly lead to growing global instability’.2
In the general debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2025, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Rossen Dimitrov Jeliazkov, said: ‘Nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament, and arms control remain central to our collective security. We condemn rhetoric and actions that threaten stability and stress the need for renewed diplomacy.’3
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2025, Bulgaria reiterated that ‘the NPT and its Article VI remain the only viable path towards the achievement of a world free from nuclear weapons’.4
Recommendations
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Bulgaria should renounce the possession and potential use of nuclear weapons on its behalf, and ensure that nuclear weapons do not have a role in its defence posture.
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Bulgaria should comply with its existing obligation under Article VI of the NPT and pursue negotiations in good faith on nuclear disarmament.
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Bulgaria should urgently adhere to the TPNW. Until it is in a position to do so, it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable component in the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, work with the Treaty's states parties on practical steps towards disarmament, and attend the meetings of states parties as an observer.