Petar Dobrev: Dobruja is an interesting multicultural region to study

Vladimir Mitev

Intro

On September 19-20, 2025, an international conference dedicated to the Craiova Agreement and the Dobrujan issue was held in Sofia, bringing together renowned researchers from Bulgaria, Romania, and Italy. The conference allowed for a free exchange of perspectives and sources, focusing on the human stories and drama of the forced population exchange between Bulgaria and Romania, the diplomacy surrounding the Craiova Agreement, and the myths associated with it.

The Bridge of Friendship spoke with one of the key figures in organizing the conference- historian Petar Dobrev, a native of Dobruja.

Petar Dobrev is a senior assistant at the Faculty of History of the St. Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia and at the Institute of History of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. His areas of research interest include the social history of the Balkans, the history of the agrarian problem, the history of Dobruja, and the revolutionary movements in the Balkans.

Significance of the conference

Mr. Dobrev, what is the significance of the conference on the Treaty of Craiova and the interconnected destinies of the Balkan peoples, which took place at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the University of Sofia on September 19-20, 2025?

I am very pleased that, for the first time, we have brought together Bulgarian and Romanian researchers in one place to discuss these topics calmly and freely, from different perspectives. We organized the conference in Sofia to highlight the national and international aspects of this treaty and the return of Southern Dobruja. Until now, these anniversaries were usually commemorated in a much more restricted and local context. We wanted to remind people of the true importance of Craiova, which after 1940 was quickly marginalized due to the much more serious problems facing the state at the beginning of World War II. I believe that, from a historical point of view, it is right to give these events the attention they deserve.

Researchers have shown little interest in the Dobrujan issue for a long time

Why have so few researchers dealt with issues related to the Treaty of Craiova and the Dobruja question in general, both in Bulgaria and Romania?

After all, this issue was resolved by the Treaty of Craiova. It did not remain open, as was the case, for example, with the famous Macedonian question, which was considered as such for a long time. Apart from that, relations between Bulgaria and Romania after 1941 were those between allied countries – first under the umbrella of the Axis, unfortunately, and then in the Eastern Bloc. Therefore, no issues were sought that would divide the two countries and create tensions. On the contrary, these were avoided so as not to irritate third allied countries.

The return to the Dobruja issue only took place in the 1980s, when both Romania and Bulgaria experienced a general wave of nationalism during the Ceaușescu and Zhivkov regimes. At that time, there was a certain resurgence of interest, but again, I would say that this was within a fairly narrow nationalist context. Now is the time to look at the issue from a completely different angle—from the perspective of this intertwining and the fact that Dobruja is an extremely interesting multicultural region that can provide us with wonderful topics for historical research.

The resolution of the Dobrujan dispute as seen through a human lens

The two countries resolved the Dobruja issue in 1940. But to what extent have people managed to resolve it for themselves in the time that has passed since then? I am referring to the people who have lived in Northern and Southern Dobruja since then.

At the conference, we tried to present some human stories, because the Treaty of Craiova imposed mandatory relocation. The Bulgarians from Northern Dobruja came to Bulgaria, and the Romanians from Southern Dobruja returned to Romania. This was a great trauma and tragedy for most of these people, who lost their property, household goods, social contacts, and their entire way of life. We tried to show that these stories logically leave trauma in generations. This is the other side of the coin, the other side of the Treaty of Craiova, which should not be overlooked.

Yes, for Bulgaria it is a success, because it recovers a very valuable and politically important territory with over 350,000 inhabitants. But the expulsion is indeed a tragic experience for both Bulgarians and Romanians. This is what we are focusing on. At the conference, stories were told about mixed marriages and about people who did not want to leave their native places, even if they were of Bulgarian or Romanian origin. I believe that such destinies deserve to reach the public through the collection of reports that we will publish following this scientific forum.

Good ties between Bulgarian and Romanian historians

At the conference, both in the official part and in informal communication, it was clear that there are very good relations and trust between Bulgarian and Romanian historians. What is happening in this regard between researchers in Romania on Bulgarian topics and those in Bulgaria on Romanian topics?

In this case, we have brought together people who truly appreciate communication and want to have a broader perspective. I hope this will become a trend. I do not expect, nor is it possible, for this to include all researchers working on this topic, but the more recent studies by Bulgarian and Romanian colleagues certainly go beyond the narrow perspective and, for this very reason, are much more interesting. They cover the complexity of history.

Dobruja is a highly interconnected region, and its nature requires a more complex approach. I hope that, through this conference, we have established such a trend and that it will not remain an isolated event, but that in the future we will continue to collaborate with these colleagues from Romania, as well as with others, to constantly expand our knowledge of Dobruja in a modern way.

The older and the younger generations in history

To what extent does the conference show the emergence of new generations in the field of history, both in Romania and Bulgaria, and if there is such a trend, what new developments are the new generations of researchers bringing?

In both the new and older generations, there are people who work or have always worked with a broader perspective. Similarly, in the new generations, there are people who literally repeat the nationalist clichés of 40-50 years ago. So it is not necessarily a question of generation.

But, of course, current trends allow for a freer discussion of historical topics, without the pressure from the state that existed in the 1940s or 1980s. At least from this point of view, I hope that the trend will continue and that we will be able to freely exchange ideas. In this way, the research itself becomes more in-depth and comprehensive. If we look at a region as multicultural as Dobrogea, which has changed its allegiance so often, in a strictly national framework, history is simply truncated and presented in a very limited form, which cannot represent it in its entirety.

A more in-depth vision, beyond nationalism, is indeed necessary. I believe that today, both younger and older historians who are aware of this can afford to do so. Of course, there were also researchers from the older generation, people like Prof. Blagovest Neagulov, who taught us this approach. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us, otherwise I am sure he would have participated in this conference and I hope he would have been pleased with what he would have seen.

Daniel Cain: Romanian and Bulgarian historiography are both mature enough to discuss the Dobruja issue together

The Romanian-Bulgarian border on the Danube

Territorial and minority issues in the history of Bulgarian-Romanian  relationship

Photo: Petar Dobrev (source: YouTube)

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