site.btaUPDATED Radev Invites Erdogan to Visit Bulgaria

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has invited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to visit Bulgaria, Radev told journalists in Antalya on Friday. "I hope that the visit will take place even this year, but it depends on whether we will have a steady government," the Bulgarian head of State specified.

Earlier in the day, he conferred with Erdoğan on the sidelines of the 3rd Antalya Diplomacy Forum. The two discussed bilateral relations, the war in Ukraine and the Gaza conflict, said the Directorate of Communications with the Turkish Presidency.

The Turkish head of State is quoted as telling his guest that it is important to increase cooperation between Turkiye and Bulgaria, especially in the defence industry and energy, and to pursue relations in other fields as well. He also said that Ankara is ready to cooperate with Sofia in LNG exports by road, experience sharing and renewable energy.

"President Erdoğan said that Turkiye prioritizes preventing the spread of conflicts to the region in both the Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Palestine issues, and makes maximum efforts to solve the problems through dialogue and peace," the press release says.

Attending the meeting were Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Head of National Intelligence Organization (MİT) İbrahim Kalın, Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, and Presidential Advisor on Foreign Policy and Security Akif Çağatay Kılıç.