site.btaPresident Radev Confers with Visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan

President Rumen Radev met here on Tuesday with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who is on an official visit to Bulgaria, the Head of State's press service said.

The expansion of transport, energy and digital connectivity between Bulgaria and Turkiye will contribute to the economic development, stability and security not only of the two countries but also of the whole of Europe. Hakan Fidan also identified the deepening of connectivity between the two countries as a priority.

Radev highlighted the joint work during the caretaker government to expand the capacity of the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on the Bulgarian-Turkish border and the memorandum signed with Turkiye on a second railway line linking the Bulgarian town of Yambol with Turkiye's Edirne. "Given the change in global supply chains, strengthening our transport links and increasing the capacity of the crossing points will give a new impetus and perspective to the trade and economic cooperation for the whole region of Central and Southeastern Europe," Rumen Radev said. 

The Bulgarian Head of State highly appreciated the fact that in the midst of the energy crisis in Europe, Turkiye provided Bulgaria with timely access to the Turkish LNG terminals, which prevented Bulgaria from experiencing difficulties in booking slots. The President also stressed the importance of the "Solidarity ring" project proposed by Bulgaria and promoted by the European Commission for the transmission of Azeri gas to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, which also opens up opportunities for Turkiye in this direction.

Security partnership was also discussed during the meeting. Rumen Radev and Hakan Fidan noted the good cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkiye in securing the common border and countering illegal trafficking in human beings. They shared the view that the two countries should also strengthen their cooperation to limit the negative consequences of Russia's war against Ukraine for the whole region, but stopping hostilities and establishing a lasting peace is the most sustainable solution.