site.btaBulgaria, Turkiye Have Excellent Relations within NATO, Defence Minister Says

On February 21, the first day of his official visit to Ankara, Bulgarian Defence Minister Todor Tagarev conferred with his Turkish counterpart Yasar Guler, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry said in a press release on Wednesday. The two sides underlined the excellent bilateral security and defence relations and good cooperation within NATO, specifically on measures to strengthen regional security.

During the meeting, the two ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding regarding cross-border airspace security operations. Tagarev and Guler discussed the future development of the mine action group's activities in the Black Sea and expressed confidence that more and more active participation in joint initiatives to ensure security is on the way.

Later on Wednesday, Tagarev conferred with Refik Ozen, Deputy Chairperson of the Turkish Grand National Assembly's Defence Committee, as well as with other representatives of the Committee. During the meeting, the two sides agreed that search for reasonable solutions to the problems in the Black Sea region is crucial for peace and stability not only in the Balkans, but in the whole of Europe. The interest in cooperation between the defence industries of the two countries was also underlined.

In Ankara, Tagarev also conferred with representatives of the Turkish defence industry. On the first day of his official visit, he took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Mustafa Kemal Ataturk Mausoleum in the Anitkabir complex.