BULGARIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER DANAIL PAPAZOV AND HIS TURKISH COUNTERPART TO SIGN NEW AGREEMENT ON ROAD TRANSPORT LICENSING SYSTEM

After 6 hour constructive negotiations held on 17th February in Ankara, the Bulgarian Minister of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications, Danail Papazov and the Turkish Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communications, Lütfi Elvan, reached a consensus on the issue of Bulgarian road carriers when traveling through Turkey.

During the negotiations, the two parties outlined the framework for preparation of a new Agreement to replace the current Agreement on International Road Transport of Passengers and Freights, which has existed since 1977.

The two ministers agreed the new document would include preparation for full liberalization of the permit regime to cover bilateral and transit transport operations, but at this stage would not include the transport operations from and to third country.

The new Agreement however at a later stage will envisage significant increase of the number of permits from and to third country.

In the first week of March, experts from the governments of Bulgaria and Turkey will meet in Istanbul to start preparing the draft of the agreement. The document is planned to be ready by the end of March and to be signed by the end of April, following discussions between the two parties.

The two parties also agreed to establish a call centre, as of 1st March, at both the Executive Agency “Automobile Administration” and at the General Directorate for Road Transport Regulation in Ankara in order to facilitate the solution of all problems and disputes related to processing of documents of freight vehicles of the two countries. The two administrations undertake to work out a procedure and to approve a set of documents to be presented to the relevant competent authorities.

Until the new Agreement comes into force, Bulgaria and Turkey agreed the two administrations to fully cooperate and to facilitate the transport services between the territories of both Bulgaria and Turkey.