site.btaBulgarian MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk Pays Two-Day Visit to Ankara

Bulgarian MEP and ALDE co-President Ilhan Kyuchyuk is paying a two-day visit to Turkiye, his press office said Friday. At a meeting, he and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu talked about the EU's response to the devastating earthquakes in Turkiye, the donor conference to be held later in March, and the continuing solidarity.

Kyuchyuk said that Europe needs to create a special fund helping those affected by the quakes that together with the donor conference will be an immediate support for Turkiye and Syria.  In his words, the challenges that Europe faced in the last several years and the demonstrated unity show Europe can be solidary. In this difficult moment, the EU reacted with decisive actions through its civil protection mechanism, he added. Kyuchyuk noted the timely help provided by Bulgaria, which was the first EU Member State to help the quakes-hit areas. 

The ALDE co-President expressed confidence that the donor conference will help the international community get mobilised for handling the consequences of the devastating earthquakes.

Cavusoglu thanked for the help of Bulgaria's Movement for Rights and Freedoms both at the national and European level. In his words, the cooperation between the EU and Tukriye should continue in four main directions: security and defence, energy, economy, and migration.

As part of his visit, Kyuchyuk is scheduled to visit two of the areas worst hit by the earthquakes in Turkiye: Adana and Hatay.