site.btaFourth Business Forum Aimed at Strengthening Economic Ties Between Bulgaria, Turkiye, Romania Held in Burgas

The fourth international business forum aimed at strengthening economic ties between Bulgaria, Turkiye and Romania was held in Burgas on Friday. The event was organised by the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency (BSMEPA) in cooperation with the Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BTCCI) and the Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BRCCI). This year again, the main objective of the event was to encourage partnerships between businesses in the three countries and to deepen existing strategic links.

Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov officially opened the forum and highlighted the importance of Bulgaria’s membership of the Schengen Area as an opportunity to facilitate the movement of goods and capital. He stressed the need to implement key projects such as the expansion of the road to Malko Tarnovo and improving conditions for handling freight traffic at border crossing points.

Among the official guests at the event were Turkish Ambassador to Bulgaria Mehmet Sait Uyanik; the Chair of the Turkish-Bulgarian Business Council at Türkiye’s Foreign Economic Relations Board, Fikret Ince; BTCCI President Burhan Nemutlu and BRCCI Chair Biktor Gugushev. During the discussions, the strong presence of Turkish companies in Burgas in the transport, logistics and tourism sectors was noted, along with growing interest in investments in manufacturing.

More than 40 companies are already operating in Burgas’s industrial zones, contributing to economic growth, the municipal administration reported. As part of the forum, Mayor Nikolov held a meeting with Kirklareli University Rector Prof. Dr Rengin Ak. Opportunities for joint educational programmes and student exchanges in the fields of medicine and pharmacy were discussed. The Turkish side expressed interest in deepening partnerships with Bulgarian higher education institutions, including Prof. Dr Assen Zlatarov University.

The business forum in Burgas brought together representatives of more than 150 companies from Bulgaria, Turkiye and Romania. The focus was placed on the energy, construction and digitalisation sectors. Participants discussed opportunities for joint projects within the framework of cross-border cooperation and the role of port infrastructure in expanding trade exchange.