site.btaPresident Plevneliev: Bulgaria Condemns Demonstration of Any Forms of Violence, Supports Democratically Elected Institutions in Turkey

President Plevneliev: Bulgaria Condemns Demonstration of Any Forms of Violence, Supports Democratically Elected Institutions in Turkey

Sofia, July 16 (BTA) - In a statement following the failed coup attempt in Turkey, President Rosen Plevneliev said that Bulgaria condemns the demonstration of any forms of violence and supports the democratically elected institutions of Turkey.

"The Republic of Turkey is a good neighbour to Bulgaria and a strategic partner. For Bulgaria the stability and peace in Turkey are of primary importance, as it the respect of human rights," the statement, which was released by Plevneliev's press secretiat, reads

In the wake of the failed coup attempt in Turkey, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that 230 military
personnel, senior Defence Ministry staff, and the Interior Ministry Chief Secretary were sent to the border with Turkey. Bulgaria is ready to provide a plane to take back Bulgarians there, Borissov said, speaking to reporters on Saturday afternoon after a meeting with heads of various services. Borissov also conferred with Turkish Ambassador to Sofia Suleyman Gokce.

Borissov said that the three border checkpoints between Bulgaria and Turkey were open. Traffic from Turkey into Bulgaria was suspended for several hours on Saturday morning.

The Prime Minister said that there are no signs to suggest a flow of migrants from Turkey. He said that the Bulgarian and Turkish authorities maintain proper communication. The State Agency for National Security and the State Intelligence Agency have been placed on high alert.

Borissov said that the tension in Turkey after the attempted coup in the early hours of Saturday seems to be easing. No information has been received about injured Bulgarians there.

The Prime Minister said he was given assurance that the Bulgarian-Turkish border will not be subjected to pressure. Borissov urged for finding a lasting solution to all similar conflicts as "they do not lead to anything good".

After his talks with Ambassador Gokce, Borissov said that no tension is observed amongst the three million migrants on the territory of Turkey.

Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev who went to the Border Police Regional Directorate in Elhovo, close to the Bulgarian-Turkish border, said that no intelligence or operative information is present to suggest movement of migrant flows towards Bulgaria. "All measures we have taken are of solely preventive nature," Nenchev said.

As the attempted coup unfolded in Turkey, Borissov met with the heads of the State Agency for National Security, the State Intelligence Agency, the ministers of interior and foreign affairs, and all heads of the Bulgarian security services in relation to the situation unfolding in neighbouring Turkey, Cabinet's press centre reported in the early hours of Saturday. Addressing reporters after the meeting Borissov said that "there is a procedure for taking someone down from power and in the democratic world this takes place by means of elections".

The Foreign Ministry advised all Bulgarian citizens to cancel their trips to Turkey, regardless of what means of transport they were planning on using. The Ministry urged all Bulgarians in Turkey to stay inside the hotels and residences they are currently in, to avoid public places and register on the Ministry's website as soon as possible.

BH Air's flight to Antalya and Turkish Airline's flight to Istanbul from Sofia on Saturday were cancelled, the Sofia Airport said.

The centrist Movement for Rights and Freedoms issued a statement expressing its concern with the developments in Turkey and also the Movement's categorical support for the legitimately elected
institutions in Turkey: President, Parliament, cabinet.

In a statement on the developments in Turkey, Chairman of the Democrats for Responsibility, Freedom and Tolerance Lyutvi Mestan says that the formation condemns the attempted military coup in Turkey, describing it as an anti-democratic act against the constitutional foundations of Turkey.

The Bulgarian Democratic Centre too issued a statement, saying that the reaction and resistance of the Turkish people against the attempted military coup is a lesson in democracy.