Bulgaria and Türkiye Will Step Up Joint Initiatives to Ensure Freedom of Navigation in the Black Sea

Bulgaria and Türkiye will step up joint bilateral and trilateral initiatives with Romania to ensure freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. This was agreed today, October 21, during a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Rumen Radev and President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Turkish President expressed his sympathy over drone strikes against merchant vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, the government press service said.

They shared the view that the moratorium on military strikes against commercial shipping in the Black Sea, proposed by Prime Minister Radev at a meeting of the European Council, was a reasonable and viable solution in the interests of all countries. Prime Minister Radev also welcomed President Erdoğan’s diplomatic initiative on the issue.

The two leaders also discussed matters on the bilateral agenda, including increasing the capacity of border crossing points and improving connectivity between the two countries, with financial support from the EU among the options. In this connection, Prime Minister Radev invited President Erdoğan to attend a summit scheduled to take place in Sofia early next year under the auspices of the European Commission, focusing on connectivity between Europe and Central Asia.