Radev and Erdogan agree on economic cooperation and joint fight against illegal migration

Bulgaria and Turkey will continue their good cooperation in the energy and economic fields and will also join efforts in the fight against illegal migration. This became clear from the meeting between the Presidents of the two countries Recep Erdogan and Rumen Radev on December 9.

The Bulgarian Head of State is on a working visit to Istanbul. The Bulgarian delegation includes the ministers of foreign affairs, interior, energy and defence.

Bulgaria and Turkey have very good cooperation in the economy and trade, with the trade volume this year amounting to 6 billion dollars, and the target is to reach 10 billion dollars, Presidents Radev and Erdogan said.

The two also commented on the good partnership relations in the energy sector. Rumen Radev expects even better connectivity in the coming years.

"I would like to thank President Erdogan for the access to Turkish liquefied natural gas terminals in difficult moments for the country and we hope that in the future this access will be more flexible and with longer-term arrangements," Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said.

"Guidelines were given to the energy ministers on how we can cooperate, how we can meet Bulgaria's needs for natural gas. And the relevant ministries will do whatever is necessary," said Recep Erdogan, President of Turkey.

The war in Ukraine is changing the global supply of natural resources. One of the hopeful routes is through Bulgaria and Turkey, so both countries should identify specific measures for action, Rumen Radev said. He also pointed out that good border security is important for all this to succeed.

The Bulgarian Head of State also underlined Turkey's contribution to the fight against illegal migration.

"We highly appreciate Turkey's contribution to curbing the rising migration pressure along our common border, which is also external to the EU. We look forward to even greater engagement in our common efforts. We also understand the difficulties that your country is facing in terms of migration, which is why we support the extension of the joint arrangements and Turkey's cooperation with the EU," Rumen Radev said.

"The caretaker Minister of Interior held a discussion with his counterpart regarding the security of our common border and how emerging problems can be solved and will continue to act in this spirit," the Turkish President said.

Rumen Radev also underlined Turkey's efforts to end the war in Ukraine.