Yassen Darakov The new American President Donald Trump is expected to replace his current representative in Sofia, Kenneth Merten, within two weeks, BG VOICE learned from sources within the new administration. In the United States, most ambassadors are political appointments and serve "at the pleasure of the President," as the traditional phrase goes. It is not necessary for them to complete a full term before being replaced, especially under a new administration in the White House. Traditionally, all political appointees submit their resignations as a symbolic gesture towards the new authority. So far, Trump has replaced over 30 American ambassadors, including those in key partner countries in the European Union, the Middle East, Latin America, as well as representatives of the US in NATO and the UN. Among the changed ambassadors in countries close to Bulgaria are those in Turkey, Greece, Croatia, and Malta. In neighboring Greece, Trump sent his son Donald Trump Jr.'s former fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle. Kenneth Merten arrived in Bulgaria in April 2023, after being approved by the American Senate. He replaced the Trump-appointed Hero Mustafa after her mandate expired at the end of 2022. In Sofia, the upcoming reshuffle in the American embassy is already known and reciprocal actions are being considered. As reported by BG VOICE, our current ambassador in Washington, Georgi Panayotov, does not enjoy the trust of the American side. Единият от тях е познат като "Триглавната монета", подозиран в незаконни плащания за изборната кампания на Тръмп в обмен на ползи за строителството на проекти". During last year's presidential campaign, Panayotiv allowed himself to comment on Trump's allegations and legal problems in interviews, in contrast to the adopted diplomatic tone. In an interview with bTV, he commented: "According to the allegations, money was paid to buy their silence about the fact that the two women had sexual relations with Donald Trump. The porter came out with information that Trump has an illegitimate child. The accusation is that the paid money is accounted for as lawyer fees. This lawyer, Michael Cohen, who is a former lawyer for Trump, is actually the person who maintains all the allegations and has testified against him," Panayotov said. And also from the interview - "There are three other investigations against Donald Trump, two of which have a more serious potential. One of them is known as the "Triple Head Coin," suspected of illegal payments for Trump's campaign in exchange for benefits for construction projects." One is about the attack on the Capitol on January 6th, and the other is that he had a conversation with authorities in Georgia during the presidential election and ordered them to find just over 11,000 votes so he could win the state's election," he stated. According to him, these investigations could have more serious consequences. Such type of comments in a foreign country are not accepted and are considered a breach of protocol, diplomats say. Shortly after that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs banned Panayotov from giving interviews without explicit permission from Sofia. His media appearances were drastically restricted by the Ministry. The graduate of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Panayotov, was surprisingly appointed as the acting Minister of Defense, and then sent on our mission to the USA. His brother, Todor Panayotov, was revealed as an employee of the State Security, who is also the owner of a large tourist facility in Pomorie. He was a disgruntled employee at the MVR in Burgas working in the PGU division and operated under the pseudonym "Drinov" before being uncovered by municipal council members in Pomorie in 2013. The process of approving Panayotov as ambassador to the United States was delayed for two months. Day after day, the delicate refusal in diplomacy is still being interpreted as a signal of the Americans' concerns about Panayotov's nomination. Before leaving for Washington, he defined his biggest challenge as restoring the trust lost in the last few years with the United States. It seems that now he has lost it completely. Panayotov was among the few ambassadors from the European Union who did not attend the party conferences of the Democrats and Republicans during the summer. The diplomats used these meetings to establish close contacts with advisors and members of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump's teams in anticipation of the next administration. Panayotov, however, did not inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the events and did not participate in them. In Sofia, his work has long been questioned, but due to a series of elections and caretaker cabinets, he avoids accountability. During his term, there has been no progress in the negotiations for a social agreement, and the issue of visa waiver is moving away from Sofia. So far, Panayotov's term will be remembered for the colossal blunder on March 3 last year, when he lit up the "Frederick Douglass" bridge in Washington in the colors of the Russian flag. At the beginning of his term, he almost caused a scandal between Bulgaria and Germany after accusing their airline "Lufthansa" of discrimination due to a delay in his son's flight. Panayotov wrote a long post on Facebook with accusations towards the Germans, which was widely covered in the Bulgarian media, but later turned out to be baseless. Panayotov's inaction against Macedonian lobbying in the US was also described as dangerous for Bulgaria. In an analysis, the information agency BGNES wrote: The incompetence of our ambassador in the US leads to crimes against Bulgaria. The lack of basic knowledge about national security and interests leads to serious mistakes, bordering on crimes by the Bulgarian ambassador to the United States, Georgi Panayotov, who allowed the consideration of an anti-Bulgarian document in the US Senate. An expensive tourist who should be immediately sent on permanent leave.  The leader of "There is Such a People" Slavi Trifonov defined the inaction of our ambassador in Washington Georgi Panayotov, who, according to him, has not taken any actions after a new resolution was introduced in the US Congress by the lobby of North Macedonia in the States, which puts pressure for the country's accession to the European Union without respecting the problems it has with Bulgaria. It is more than clear that the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry will recall our ambassador once it becomes clear that the American side has lost trust in him.