Bulgaria and Turkey have a future as partners in the Balkans and the EU
23 April 2012 News
Bulgaria has the desire to strengthen economic and political relations with all its neighbours, including Turkey, Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov told a business forum held today by the Turkish-American Business Association and the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria.
At the forum, opportunities for the development of stronger economic relations between Bulgaria and Turkey were presented, as well as future prospects for co-operation between the two countries in the European context.
Minister Mladenov emphasised that the European perspectives of Bulgaria’s neighbours were important because of the help that they present in facilitating and intensifying business contacts and relations among countries.
He said that the priorities in relations between Bulgaria and Turkey – key to improving trade and economic relations – were the construction of modern transport infrastructure and the linking of the Black Sea ports of Bulgaria and Turkey, an important prerequisite for increasing both the transit of goods through the territories of both countries and the flow of tourists.
Minister Mladenov said that Bulgaria already was focusing its efforts in this direction, introducing a range of visa facilitation possibilities for Turkish citizens, and cited the signing of 17 bilateral agreements this year in Ankara at the first joint intergovernmental meeting, that had opened a new horizon to strengthen relations.
For Bulgaria, co-operation with Turkey in the energy sector was crucial, especially in terms of energy diversification, Minister Mladenov said. The construction of an interconnector was crucial for Bulgaria, because it would ensure this country’s energy security and create a whole new dimension in Bulgaria’s energy market.