President Clinton yesterday paid a thank-you visit to Bulgaria in return for its support of NATO during its Kosovo campaign, but his speech left many wondering if real assistance will follow.
"We are committed to supporting them over the long run, economically, politically and militarily," Mr Clinton told reporters. "I think we will be doing it for many years."
Bulgaria joined neighbouring Romania in giving NATO support during the air campaign, opening air space to combat jets, supporting trade sanctions and refusing Russian requests to fly paratroopers over its territory to Kosovo.
Bulgarians hope in return they will gain membership of the alliance and, ultimately, of the EU, but the US President gave no specific promises during a speech before a crowd of about 15,000 in the centre of the capital, Sofia. Calling on Western firms to invest in the country, he said: "This is a wonderful country. Come here and help Bulgaria build a future."
The Bulgarians can take some comfort from the visit itself, which will show that the US regards the country as an island of stability in a turbulent Balkans.
"This visit put Bulgaria in the world news. That's important, but what we are expecting is more than beautiful words," said a leading TV journalist, Elena Yontcheva. "We want to know some details about our chances with NATO or the European Union."
During the war in Kosovo, Bulgaria was hit mistakenly by several NATO missiles and, like Romania, the country continues to suffer from that campaign. The Danube, a major trading link, is blocked by the rubble of destroyed bridges, and trade has suffered with Yugoslavia.
Security was tighter than the country has ever known, with a massive operation closing down the entire city centre for the three days of Mr Clinton's visit and thousands of police and troops deployed. In part this is due to fears of attacks, either by Serb sympathisers or by Bin Laden terrorist cells operating in the Balkans.
But it also reflects the desire to avoid even a whiff of the demonstrations that greeted Mr Clinton in Greece, with the country desperate to make use of this rare time in the international spotlight to show its good intentions.
Bulgaria has hit the same problems suffered by other former Iron Curtain nations: democracy and new freedoms have not translated into prosperity.
"When Prince Charles came last year, the President sang him a song, All We Need Is Love," said Bulgaria's leading newspaper, Troud, in a front-page comment. "Today the song must be Help."
US officials said there will be some tweaking of aid to the country following the visit, in part to build on recent achievements, which include harmony with its ethnic Turkish minority and stabilisation of its currency.