European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 4, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Black sea report Bulgaria .1 a in / a i a a h s is ii of. A a a it a a a a. S5 off i Ilsi its a St. Bogor Odita a Church la in the heart of the atty of Vama. Continued from Page 1 Bulgaria for a five Day visit on aug. 16, after an earlier Stop at Constanta Romania. Quot if the Belknap s visit had happened 10 or 20 years ago it would t have been possible to talk to the american sailors because there d be guards around them Quot said Krasimir Manev a Cadet at the bulgarian naval Academy. Quot to be just talking with no restrictions that s Freedom Quot he said. Manev and some friends spent about 30 minutes talking with american sailors outside Varna s summer theater where the 6th Fleet s band and the bulgarian Navy band gave a joint concert. Quot it s not just an everyday happening to have a ship from the . Arrive Here. Most of what we know about America is what we see in films and read in magazines Quot Manev said. Quot this Way we can see they re just Normal people a they smoke like us they eat like us. Quot it s very different when we Are face to  the sailors said other bulgarians they met also were eager to find out about americans. Quot i be noticed a lot of curiosity Quot Petty officer 2nd class John Graham said. Quot people Are really curious to find out what we represent in terms of life style. Quot they wanted to know what we can buy in big department stores Back in the states Quot Graham said. While the americans explored Varna Bulgaria s largest port and Headquarters to the country a Navy bulgarians explored the Belknap. Quot in a very glad a . Ship is Here Quot Nicolos Kevorkian said. Quot this to the beginning of a new bulgarian american Friendship now american tourists must come to Varna Quot Varna a City of 300,000, already is a tourist Haven for bulgarians the nearby Beach resort areas of Dro Uzhca and Golden Sands Are Home to More than 80 hotels and hundreds of shops restaurants and discos. Downtown Varna is dominated by a wide Boulevard that extends from a Beach Side Park past a modern civic Center smart shops and sidewalk cafes to an ancient Cathedral. The Boulevard is closed to vehicles. Kevorkian like hundreds of other bulgarians waited hours in a line that snaked through the port for a Rocky boat ride out to the Belknap. There Crew members greeted them with a Belknap fact Sheet written in bulgarian. Signs also in their language directed them around the ship s exterior and explained the various weapons systems and other features sailors also handed out magazines on various american cultural issues and poster sized pictures of americans founding fathers. On the flip Side the . Constitution and Bill of rights were printed in bulgarian. Bulgarians have been recently changing their own Constitution. Once among the most hard line of the East bloc countries Bulgaria in 1989 removed its Long time Leader Todor Zsivkov Early in 1990 it indicted him on corruption charges. In the same month the National Assembly removed clauses in the Constitution guaranteeing the bulgarian communist party a monopoly on Power. The Belknap s visit to Varna included the usual activities involved with a ship s port visit a dignitaries receptions band concerts and Wreath laying. Quot we think this historic visit of the United states ship Belknap will be the first of a Long series of meetings and contacts that will build the military to military Friendship Between our two countries Quot 6th Fleet commander vice adm. William a. Owens told cadets at the naval Academy. Bulgarian chief of naval operations vice adm. Dimitr Nikolov Pavlov compared the weather during the first three Days of the Belknap s visit to the changes in  bulgarian relations. On the first Day As the flagship pulled into Varna s Harbor and dropped Anchor rough seas made the Boa trip from the Cruiser to Shore nearly impossible. By the second Day conditions had improved and Many of t e flagships sailors could visit Varna. Seas were so smooth by the third Day Pavlov Sai. At the reception at which he was speaking could be he on Belknap. The flagship s earlier port visit to Constanta was t p first by a . Naval vessel to Romania since that country s 1989 revolution. While there the Belknap participated in romanians annual Navy Day Cerebra to ships from the soviet Union and Turkey also took a the aug. 15 Observance. In conjunction with the port visits nine Seabee continued on be 4 a bulgarian Navy Honor guard Walta Tow arrival of tha . Navy 6th float commander vice adm. William Owens. A amps photos by Gary Miller bulgarians and americana partic Pata in a Wreath laying ceremony in downtown Varna. In Petty officer 1st a Tara Giovanni Ferro and Petty officer 2nd class David Petsch buy a doll. The Black sea Beach at Drou Ezba near Varna draws tourists from throughout Europe. A bulgarian Monument to Balkan War dead. Navy Day the . 6th Fleet flagship and the soviet Cruiser Azov were berthed beside each other in Constanta Romania last month Lor that country s annual Navy Day Celebration the event marked the first time a  Navy warship was invited to Navy Day in the former Warsaw pact country. And the location of the ships stirred the Pride of the americans. Quot it heightened our military bearing Quot said Petty officer 3rd class Chuck Frye of the . Guided missile Cruiser Belknap Quot everyone tried to look sharper in things like morning quarters because they were across the pier irom  one of the highlights of the romanian port Call Lor Many of the american sailors was meeting their counterparts from the soviet Union. Quot we traded hats with soviet sailors Quot Petty officer 2nd class Scott Cummins said Quot i was amazed they wanted our hats As much As we wanted theirs. Quot sailors irom the Belknap the Azov the soviet Legate  As Well As ships irom Turkey and Bulgaria attended the aug. 15 Celebration they witnessed a two hour pass and review that included a variety of romanian naval vessels irom a tall ship to contemporary warships romanian Navy aircraft also performed Fly by and divers leapt into the sea from a helicopter Gary Miller Page 2 the stars and stripes wednesday september 4, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 3