Bulgaria, as an EU member state, supports Ankara's efforts on its European path, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel said at a joint press conference with her Turkish Counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara.
Gabriel arrived on a visit to the Turkish capital on Tuesday.
She pointed out that as neighbouring countries and partners in NATO, Bulgaria and Turkiye have a responsibility to preserve and maintain security and stability in the Black Sea region. Gabriel added that strategic topics and those related to common interest were discussed during the talks with Fidan.
She thanked the Turkish representatives for working together to promote the good examples within Turkiye's European path, giving as an example the European university alliances in Turkiye, as well as the climate neutral smart cities.
"I think that together we will make sure that the positive examples, the good, successful stories, together with the efforts for even better cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkiye, can not only be visible to us and our citizens, but also reach Europe and the whole world," Gabriel said.
Turkie's EU membership will open up new opportunities for both the EU and the region, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said. He recalled that after the re-election of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in May, he adamantly restated his commitment to Turkiye's membership in the EU. Fidan added that that what his country expects from the European Union is to review its hard positions from previous years.
Turkiye has been an official candidate for EU membership for 24 years, but accession talks have been stalled since 2016 due to the bloc's concerns over human rights abuses and respect for the rule of law in the country.
On her part, Gabriel expressed gratitude for the care Bulgaria's southern neighbour provides to its citizens and noted that cooperation will continue in this direction. "Beyond the strategic topics, beyond the big changes, there is nothing stronger than the cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkiye, than human contact, people to people contact, which can never be replaced. This contact has stood the test of time. Yes, we are still facing challenges, but the good cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkiye can turn them into opportunities," Gabriel added.
She thanked Hakan Fidan for the meeting in Ankara and invited him to visit Bulgaria.
The issue of fighting migration is a priority for Bulgaria and Turkiye, Gabriel said in response to a question by BTA.
She pointed out that any positive result in the common fight against illegal migration is also a priority for the entire EU.
"I want to say once again that Ankara is making serious efforts to shelter a huge number of refugees. Exceptional efforts are also being made to combat illegal migration. I believe this should be recognised, including through appropriate EU support for refugees in Turkiye," Gabriel said.
She pointed out that there is a request for a forthcoming visit by the Bulgarian Interior Minister and added that she hopes that some of the outstanding issues or new situations that require even more flexibility and joint efforts between the teams will be addressed then.
/RY/
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