site.btaPM Borissov, Deputy PM Nikolova Confer with Visiting Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Ersoy

Sofia, January 25 (BTA) - Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and
Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism Minister Mariyana Nikolova
conferred here on Monday with Turkish Culture and Tourism
Minister Mehmet Ersoy, who is paying a working visit to Bulgaria
 at Nikolova's invitation.

The global health crisis from last year has caused a significant
 drop in the tourist flow between Bulgaria and Turkey, Borissov
said, adding that he believes that this trend will be overcome
after the COVID-19 risk dissipates, the Government Information
Service reported.
 
Borissov noted the importance of holding the first session of
the Bulgarian-Turkish Intergovernmental Commission for Economic
Cooperation, which was postponed due to the pandemic. The
bilateral economic relations and joint projects of mutual
interest will contribute to enhancing ties between Bulgaria and
Turkey in general, the Bulgarian Prime MInister is quoted as
saying.

During his conversation with Minister Ersoy, Borissov
underscored that Turkey is Bulgaria's immediate neighbour, NATO
ally and a key partner of the EU in the areas of migration,
counterterrorism, energy, agriculture, animal husbandry, trade,
among others.

"Bulgaria and Turkey have traditionally good relations and we
have always strived to find solutions to different issues in the
 spirit of goodneighbourliness and mutual respect," Borissov
said.

He noted that Bulgaria understands the serious migration burden
and risks facing Turkey, which accepted over 3.7 million
migrants and refugees on its territory, especially in view of
the general situation caused by COVID-19.

Borissov added that Bulgaria supports the dialogue with Ankara
and has always insisted that the EU maintains the communication
channels with Turkey open.

Later in the day, Ersoy and Nikolova gave a joint news
conference, during which the latter said that Sofia is the host
of the third meeting of the joint Bulgarian-Turkish Tourism
Committee, whose main task is to find working solutions for this
 unpredictable year.
 
Tourism trips from Turkey to Bulgaria amounted to close to
300,000 last year, which is a 50 per cent drop compared to 2019,
 Nikolova said. Turkey remains a top market abroad for Bulgarian
 tourists, she said, adding that over 1.6 million trips by
Bulgarians to Turkey were registered in 2019. Bulgarians often
rank in the top three groups of Turkey's foreign visitors. She
noted that bilateral trade during its most intensive development
 has reached 5 billion dollars.

Minister Ersoy said that Bulgaria and Turkey are neighbouring
countries that have shown a bright example of cooperation in the
 fight against the pandemic. He noted Nikolova's efforts to
restore traffic between the two countries to previous levels,
adding that culture and tourism are among the sectors most
affected by the pandemic, which calls for huge efforts to
support them.

Turkey is the first country in Europe to start applying
certification for safe and secure tourism, and the increased
number of tourists in 2020 shows good results, the Turkish
Minister said.

Commenting on bilateral trade, Ersoy said that it has dropped
somewhat, voicing hope that it will be restored in the near
future.

NV/MY