As the bloody five-day conflict over South Ossetia was brought to a halt on August 12 and efforts became focused on bringing stability to the region and providing humanitarian aid to the thousands of people who were affected by the hostilities, Bulgaria once more found itself in a difficult, yet possibly rewarding, position.

On the one hand, being a Nato and a European Union member state and a partner of Georgia that has more than once voiced its support for the Caucasus country's territorial integrity and for its integration in the Nato structures, Bulgaria could have been expected to stand up for Tbilisi. On the other hand, Bulgaria's long-term, historically sealed relations with Russia, boosted recently by the Bulgarian inclusion in the Russian South Stream and Bourgas-Alexandroupolis energy projects, undoubtedly had their impact on the country's stand and prevented it from taking sides.

Complicated as it may seem, however, the situation presented Bulgarian authorities with a chance to prove their reiterated intention to transform the state into a key player in the Black Sea region was more than mere talk.

"Bulgaria is a Nato and an EU member state and we think that we are responsible from this point of view because we have been one of the most active states in the drawing-up of the EU's Black Sea Synergy policy. I think that we have to be extremely active and constructive in the development of the current conflict, because we are in a unique position," Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev told Bulgarian news agency BTA in an interview on August 12.

While he was explaining that Bulgaria supported Georgia's integrity and Nato aspirations, he also said that Bulgaria was among the EU members that sustained good and pragmatic relations with Russia. "Namely this combination, I would say, makes us a very important participant in the common European efforts to find a political solution," Stanishev said.

The actions of Bulgarian authorities thus far have proven that indeed something was being done to achieve the goal of having a more prominent role in the region. The prime minister told BTA that he thought that Sofia was a good place to hold direct talks between the two hostile parties through EU mediation, should things get that far. He also said that he had proposed to Bulgaria's partners at Nato and the EU that Sofia host a conference dedicated to frozen conflicts and finding political ways to solve them.

At the August 13 extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels dedicated to the situation in Georgia, which approved the cease-fire agreement achieved via the mediation of French president Nicolas Sarkozy and discussed further EU involvement in the conflict, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin proposed that the port of Bourgas be used as a regional logistics centre for the bloc to send humanitarian aid to Georgia and that a special EU representative for the conflicts in Georgia be appointed, the press service of the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, it became known that Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Milen Keremedchiev would leave for Tbilisi on August 14 as Bulgaria's special envoy to Georgia. The decision to send Keremedchiev to the conflict area was taken at Georgia's request to send a Bulgarian representative. The goal of his visit would be to get to known the situation on the spot and to evaluate the possibilities to provide humanitarian aid those suffering in the conflict, the Foreign Ministry said.

All in all, this time, unlike six months ago when the crisis caused by Kosovo's declaration of independence burst out, Bulgaria cannot be blamed for not being active. The question remains whether it will manage to turn its actions into a positive basis for its future recognition as a real factor in the Black Sea region.