The Presidents of Bulgaria and Turkiye stress the need to deepen partnership in securing the common border to counter illegal migration and crime

 

Bulgaria and Turkey are neighbours in a region surrounded by military crises and conflicts and share a common responsibility for ensuring the security, stability and prosperity not only of their citizens but also of Southeast Europe, head of State Rumen Radev said at a meeting with Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Bulgarian President was visiting Istanbul at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart. At the Vahdettin Pavilion, the two presidents held a one-on-one session and chaired plenary talks between the delegations. 

 

Russia's war against Ukraine puts not only the European security architecture to the test, but also the economic and social systems in the neighbouring countries, Radev said. The Bulgarian President praised the actions of President Erdogan and the Republic of Turkiye in seeking a solution to end the hostilities, as well as for the agreement reached between Turkiye, the UN, Ukraine and Russia on the export of grain across the Black Sea, and the exchange of prisoners of war.

 

President Radev also stressed that as a result of the military operations in Ukraine, the only reliable land route from Asia and Africa to Europe is through Turkey and Bulgaria, and this is already being seen at the border crossings between the two countries. They will therefore be modernised and expanded, and the overall improvement and expansion of transport and energy infrastructure is also on the agenda of bilateral relations, through which supply chains and energy diversification can be ensured. 

 

The sides concurred that bilateral trade, which has reached USD 6 billion, does not exhaust the potential of economic opportunities. Trade, transport, energy and defence were identified as particularly promising areas of cooperation. The Bulgarian head of State expressed his gratitude for the support provided by Turkiye in securing liquefied natural gas supplies at a difficult time for this country.  

 

The two countries will expand their partnership in securing the common border in order to effectively counter illegal migration and human trafficking, fight terrorism and organised crime, it was further underlined. The good cooperation between the law enforcement institutions and security services of the two countries was also confirmed. We highly appreciate Turkiye's contribution to curbing the increasing migration pressure along our common border, which is external to the EU, and we expect even greater commitment to our common efforts, Radev stressed.  He added that this country fully understands the challenges Bulgaria's neighbour faces in checking migration flows and supports the continuation of the joint arrangements and cooperation between the EU and Turkey in this regard. 

 

The Bulgarian delegation included the Deputy Prime Minister for Public Order and Security and Minister of the Interior, Ivan Demerdzhiev, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikolay Milkov, the Minister of Energy, Rossen Hristov, and the Minister of Defence, Dimitar Stoyanov. 

 

During his visit to Turkiye, President Rumen Radev also visited the production complex of the Baykar Company, where he was familiarised with the company's activities and met its management.