Enhancing Türkiye, Bulgaria ties 'necessary' to tackle regional issues, says Turkish official

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) – The relations between Türkiye and Bulgaria should be enhanced to cope with regional difficulties, the Turkish parliament speaker said on Monday.

"At a time when we are facing regional and global challenges, it has become increasingly necessary to strengthen cooperation and solidarity between the two neighboring countries," Mustafa Sentop said at a news conference with his Bulgarian counterpart Vezhdi Rashidov in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Sentop said the close relations between the two countries will contribute to the development of peace, stability and prosperity in the region, especially in the Balkans.

Türkiye and Bulgaria have potentials to boost ties in the areas of economy, trade, tourism, and culture, Sentop said, adding that the two countries are planning to organize a meeting on migration, which the parliamentarians, especially in European countries, will participate in.

"We have always stated that it is not right for the migration problem to remain on only certain countries. We always said that it is a global problem and global solutions should be produced," he added.

Rashidov, for his part, said migration has become a problem not for Bulgaria and Türkiye, but also for the whole Europe.

"In order to solve the migration issue as a whole, we need to gather around a round table and look for a common solution to eliminate this problem," he added.

Stressing that Türkiye-Bulgaria border is the "most safest" one, Rashidov thanked Türkiye for allowing Bulgarian citizens to sleep comfortably.