site.btaDelegations of Bulgaria and Turkiye Hold Working Meeting at Kapitan Andreevo Checkpoint

A meeting between delegations of Bulgaria and Turkiye took place on Tuesday at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on the Bulgarian-Turkish border. The Bulgarian delegation was led by Interior Ministry Secretary General Zhivko Kotsev and also included the head of the Border Police General Directorate, Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov, his deputy and directors and deputy directors of the Interior Ministry's main directorates. On the Turkish side, the meeting was attended by the Vali of Edirne Yunus Sezer, his deputy Sidki Zehin, the Vali of Kirklareli, as well as senior officials from the police, gendarmerie and migration management structures of Edirne and Kirklareli.

The meeting affirmed both parties’ commitment to continue their close cooperation. Chief Commissioner Zhivko Kotsev said the shared view that the effective interaction on a number of cases of strategic importance for both countries is of great importance, adding that only through joint efforts can both countries tackle the unprecedented migration crisis. Kotsev stressed that as a member of the EU, Bulgaria fulfills its obligations to protect the European border. In this regard, the country would benefit from applying a common European mechanism and a common approach to solve the problem. 

“Our vision is to maintain the levels of professional coordination and communication and to build on the goodneighbourly relations", the head of Border Police, Anton Zlatanov, said. The Vali of Edirne, Yunus Sezer, also expressed confidence in the continuation of effective interaction. “Good relations, dialogue, and collaboration will help us solve problems,” Sezer added. “We will not forget that one of the first countries to help us after the devastating earthquake in Turkiye was Bulgaria. I am also grateful for the fact that this year we managed to create a very good organization of freight traffic through the border crossings at Lesovo - Hamzabeyli and Captain Andreevo - Kapikule." The Vali of Edirne also underscored the effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism, smuggling, and illegal migration. He conveyed the greetings of Turkiye’s Interior Minister to the Bulgarian Government and the participants in the meeting and wished Zhivko Kotsev success on the occasion of his appointment as Interior Ministry Secretary General.