site.btaBulgarian Foreign Ministry Reacts to Turkish President's Comment Mentioning Kurdjali

Sofia, March 14 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry Tuesday published on its website a position on a comment by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan mentioning the southern Bulgarian city of Kurdjali. The position reads that today's state borders have been affirmed with international agreements, recognized by all countries and are not subject either to doubt or revision. Bulgaria and the Republic of Turkey, which have excellent bilateral relations, make no exception from these agreements.

Addressing a local congress of his party in Sakarya earlier this week, President Erdogan said that "Kurdjali is part of our spiritual borders". Living in Sakarya are many Turkish emigrants from Bulgaria and other Balkan countries.

The Foreign Ministry says in its position that each country with a rich and long history could claim that its spiritual and cultural borders extend beyond the physical ones. If the political rhetoric in individual countries chooses to return to the past for some reason, then it could almost always outline borders different than those of today, the position also reads.