site.btaBulgarian Prime Minister Borissov Talks with Turkish Prime Minister Davutoglu, President Erdogan

Bulgarian Prime Minister Borissov Talks with Turkish Prime Minister Davutoglu, President Erdogan

Istanbul, October 14 (BTA) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko
Borissov, who arrived in Istanbul on Wednesday to take part in
the 8th Global Forum on Migration and Development, conferred
with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and talked by
telephone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

At his session with Davutoglu, Borissov thanked the Turkish
State for its effort to keep in its territory the people
displaced from Syria and the neighbouring countries and noted
Bulgaria's position in the EU in favour of establishing a
security zone in Syria, of putting Turkey on the list of "safe
countries", as well as of  the possibility of easing business
and tourist visa requirements between the two sides, the
Government Information Service said.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister expressed condolences on the loss
of life in Saturday's terrorist attack. "After the bombing at
Sarafovo, I know how harrowing it is for a State, for a people
to suffer so many casualties, the head of government said. He
was referring to a July 2012 terrorist bombing attack on a bus
at Sarafovo Airport, near Bourgas (on the Black Sea), in which
five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian driver were killed.

"Our visit here is brief, but it is an expression of friendship,
 of gratitude and empathy," Borissov added. "I will be glad to
work with our Greek colleagues as well on a trilateral basis for
 the stability of the Bulgarian-Turkish-Bulgarian borders," he
said.

Davutoglu described his Bulgarian counterpart's visit to
Istanbul as "brief but meaningful" and lauded bilateral
cooperation, the Government Information Service said. The
Turkish Prime Minister thanked Borissov for the sympathy and
condolences expressed in connection with the October 10
terrorist act in Ankara, which cost at least 97 lives.
"Terrorism is the number one crime against humanity and all
measures which are taken, especially for the neighbouring
countries, are of paramount importance," Davutoglu stressed.

He described Turkey and Bulgaria as the two neighbouring
countries that are most highly integrated in social and economic
 terms. "Our roads, our people, our airports are joining and
merging," he pointed out.

The shared investment projects were also on the two leaders'
agenda, the Turkish Prime Minister said. "I hope that after the
elections we will be able to hold a high-level meeting on
business matters," he added.

Davutoglu said that he would be honoured to visit Bulgaria after
 the elections. "I wish success and good luck to us for our
[November 1] parliamentary elections, as well as for the local
elections in Bulgaria," the Turkish head of government said.

He hopes that Turkish-Bulgarian trade will double and stressed
the enormous importance of bilateral investments. "At present,
our two-way trade stands at 5,000 million dollars. I think that
it will very shortly reach 10,000 million dollars," he stressed.

Davutoglu acknowledged the role of his Bulgarian counterpart,
including during his previous term in office, for the good
relations between the two countries. "By his efforts, he
contributed significantly to the good-neighbour relations," the
Turkish PM pointed out. "I hope that Bulgarian and Turkish
citizens, both in our neighbouring countries and worldwide, will
 continue to be friends," he said.

At the end of the joint news conference, Davutoglu said he
expects that during his forthcoming visit to Brussels, the
Bulgarian Prime Minister will be able to express the position of
 Bulgaria as well as the position of Turkey. 

Earlier in the day, Borissov spoke on the phone with Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was not in Istanbul at the
moment, the Bulgarian Information Service said.

The Prime Minister thanked the President for the help that
Turkey renders Bulgaria with the refugees. He also said he was
in Istanbul to support Turkey in the aftermath of the deadly
weekend bombings and show Bulgaria's friendly attitude. Borissov
 also expressed the hope that he will hold an official meeting
with the Turkish President after the early elections in Turkey.

Erdogan said, quoted in the press release, that he attaches
great importance to the continued progress of the good relations
 and dialogue between the two countries.

The migration crisis topped the agenda. Erdogan said that the
refugee crisis has grown into a global problem and noted that
the EU should make a big effort in respect of it. In his words,
it is important to ease the refugee burden on Turkey, and he
urged for a discussion of the issue at the upcoming European
Council meeting on October 15 and 16.

"You have our full support," Borissov said, adding that in
Brussels he is to meet with the Presidents of the European
Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the
European Union.