Summary: The publication examines the labour migrations of Bulgarians to Syria considering the specific circumstances in the Bulgarian-Syrian relations and the development of the social and economic situation in Syria during the Cold War period. The change in the trend regarding the number of Bulgarians working in Syria from ascending to the mid-1980s to declining at the end of the decade is presented. The observed process concerns both the qualified staff employed by various Syrian economic entities and administrative departments and the Bulgarian state companies operating in Syria in the fields of construction, design, geological exploration, electrification and agriculture. The analysis is based on archival sources of the Bulgarian Communist Party, Ministry of Foreign Trade, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria for the Cold War period.
Keywords: labour migrations, Bulgaria, Syria, Cold War, Arab countries
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