Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the Bulgarian ambassador to Ankara

The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Bulgarian Ambassador to Ankara Angel Cholakov for an emergency meeting late tonight, November 19.

Turkish authorities have declared as unacceptable the allegations made to the Turkish ambassador to Bulgaria that Ankara attempted to interfere in the November 14 parliamentary and presidential elections.

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkey stressed to Ambassador Cholakov that his country had provided full assistance in organising the vote. According to Anatolian Agency sources, the Turkish Foreign Ministry handed the Bulgarian ambassador a diplomatic note.

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Bulgaria expects Turkish institutions and officials to strictly refrain from propaganda actions and political messages related to the electoral process in Bulgaria during the upcoming second round of elections for President and Vice President of Bulgaria on November 21, 2021, a press release circulated to the media by the Foreign Ministry says on November 19.

A meeting was held today between the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria Ivan Kondov and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Turkey in Sofia Eileen Sekizkök, in connection with the elections for President and Vice President of Bulgaria and MPs on November 14. 2021, including the forthcoming second round of the presidential elections on November 21, 2021.

The Turkish side attention was drawn to cases of engagement of officials, Turkish political leaders, emigrant organizations and media with election campaigning and calls in the Republic of Turkey to vote in favour of a political party in Bulgaria, the Foreign Ministry said.