site.btaBulgarian Embassy in Ankara Hosts March 3 Reception
The Bulgarian Embassy in Ankara hosted a reception on the occasion of Bulgaria's National Day, March 3, on Wednesday. Among the guests was Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz as well as many other high-ranking Turkish officials, foreign ambassadors and diplomats.
In his welcoming address, Bulgarian Ambassador Angel Cholakov said that Bulgaria and Turkiye are neighbors, partners, allies and friends. He highlighted the strong cooperation between the two countries in the fields of energy, defence, border security, investment, trade, culture and education. “Together we are building an even stronger partnership in all areas,” the Ambassador said.
He also said: “We exchange goods and services, we exchange technologies and most importantly, we exchange ideas and people. There is a saying in Bulgaria and Turkiye that ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed’, and exactly one year ago our rescue teams were together with their Turkish counterparts in the areas affected by the devastating earthquakes. Those were moments of great sorrow but also of hope and solidarity that will never be forgotten.”
Turkish Vice President Yılmaz congratulated the Bulgarian people on the occasion of the national holiday on behalf of the Turkish State and the Turkish people, adding that relations with Bulgaria are deepening by the day. He said that bilateral cooperation is being further strengthened within the framework of the two countries' NATO partnership, “all of which also contributes to peace, stability and prosperity in the region”.
The Turkish Vice President recalled the recent high-level visits, including a visit by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev to Ankara in December 2022, a visit by Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel to Ankara in August 2023, as well as the visit by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Sofia in January 2024.
He underscored that the two countries are determined to strengthen their multisectoral cooperation based on mutual trust and understanding. He said the next meeting of the High-Level Cooperation Council, which was established between the two countries in 2012, is scheduled to take place in Sofia this year.
“We will continue to work together with Bulgaria for the prosperity and well-being of our countries and our region,” Yilmaz said.
He thanked for the solidarity shown by the government and the people of Bulgaria after the devastating earthquakes in February 2023 and stressed that this support, given in difficult times, will not be forgotten.
The reception of the Bulgarian Embassy was attended by the Head of the EU Delegation to Turkiye, Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, the Chief of General Staff of Turkiye, Gen. Metin Gürak, Deputy Foreign Minister Mehmet Kemal Bozay.
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