site.btaBulgarian-Turkish Partnership Has Strong Vision, Ambassador Cholakov Says at Ankara Presentation of BTA's SPA Catalogue

Bulgaria's Ambassador to Turkiye Angel Cholakov said Bulgarian-Turkish friendship and partnership combine strong emotional ties with a clear vision for future cooperation, speaking at the presentation of the Turkish-language edition of BTA's BG SPA - Health through Water catalogue at BTA's National Press Club in Ankara on Monday.

Cholakov described the past year as particularly successful for Bulgarian-Turkish relations and highlighted several recent developments, including the establishment of the Association of Turkish Businesspeople of Bulgarian Origin in Bursa, the opening of a school in Turkiye's Hatay Province supported by Bulgarian children following the devastating earthquakes there, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's recent visit to Bulgaria.

He also noted Prime Minister Rumen Radev's participation in the opening of a new Turkish investment project in Shumen and pointed to the upcoming Bulgarian command of the MCM Black Sea mine countermeasures naval group involving Bulgaria, Turkiye and Romania.

"These may seem like very different events, but they are all aspects of the same thing – the strong emotion, but also the concrete vision and substance of Bulgarian-Turkish friendship and partnership," Cholakov said.

The event was attended by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, Deputy Tourism Minister Mariela Modeva, representatives of the Bulgarian Union of Balneology and SPA Tourism (BUBSPA), members of the Bulgarian community in Ankara, Turkish media representatives, diplomats and guests from both countries.

The BG SPA – Health through Water catalogue was produced in institutional partnership with the Tourism Ministry and with organizational support from BUBSPA. In the publication, BTA, which marked its 128th anniversary in February, presents news from 128 certified SPA, wellness and medical SPA centres in Bulgaria, whose total number exceeds 200. The catalogue has so far been published in Bulgarian, English, Romanian and Turkish, with all versions also available electronically on BTA’s website.