President: Cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkiye on Energy and Transport Connectivity Is Crucial for Europe's Future
2023-06-03 20:52:00
The implementation of the projects launched by the caretaker government after my meeting with President Erdogan in 2022 gives a strong boost to trade and economy not only for Bulgaria but also for Europe, Rumen Radev said
Together with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkiye, we have managed to make tangible progress in important areas of our bilateral relations. If the projects launched by the caretaker government after my crucial meeting with him last year come to fruition, this will enhance the role of our two countries in bringing more security, stability and prosperity to our region. This is what head of State Rumen Radev told journalists ahead of the inauguration ceremony of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was re-elected President of the Republic of Turkiye.
The cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkiye is of key importance for the future of Europe, the President said, adding that our southern neighbour is Bulgaria's largest trade and economic partner outside the EU and in today's complex geopolitical environment the country's role is noticeably growing. Rumen Radev pointed out that together with his Turkish counterpart they have built a relationship of trust and friendship and recalled the tangible progress achieved in important areas of bilateral relations after his visit to Istanbul last October. After my meeting with President Erdogan then, Bulgaria signed an agreement whereby it gets access to all Turkish liquefied natural gas terminals and the country's gas transmission network for 13 years with a reserved capacity of 1.5 bcm of gas per year. We are the only country that has managed to reach such an agreement, Rumen Radev said, adding that the reached agreement gives stable guarantees for security of gas supplies, diversification and favourable prices. This agreement positions Bulgaria as an important factor for the energy security of the Central and Eastern European countries, Rumen Radev added.
Taking into account the profound changes in the global supply chains, the growing traffic between our countries and our conscious responsibility towards our European partners, President Erdogan and I made a commitment and identified common measures to significantly improve transport connectivity between our countries, Rumen Radev said. The head of state highlighted the projects launched on the expansion of the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint, which will be opened soon, the optimisation of the capacity of the only railway line between Bulgaria and Turkiye, as well as the signing of a memorandum for the construction of a second railway line between Elhovo, Lesovo, Hamzabeyli and Adrianople, with the support of the EU. The construction of a motorway section between Lesovo and the Maritsa motorway is already being designed so that we can divide the huge flow of trucks and trains into two, as well as the construction of a pedestrian bridge at Rezovo.
The implementation of all these projects gives a strong boost to trade, economic development and provides new opportunities for our entire region. I strongly hope that the new regular government will take advantage of what has been achieved and will finish what has been started, Rumen Radev said, stressing that these projects are important not only for Bulgaria but also for Europe. If we want Bulgaria to develop at a faster economic pace and strengthen its role in our region and Europe, we need to significantly improve our connectivity, which has lagged behind over the years, the President stressed.
The head of state pointed out that after Russian Federation's aggression in Ukraine, the only route for land transport is through Turkiye and Bulgaria, and its volume is growing exponentially. The President added that our country needed to improve its connectivity to respond to the increased traffic. We should definitely take advantage of this for the sake of our economies and trade development and for the sake of helping our partners and allies in Europe, Rumen Radev added.
Responding to a question on tackling illegal migration, Rumen Radev said that Turkiye has made a serious commitment to contribute to the protection of our common European border and the statistics from the recent months show the results of the reinforced security. With President Erdogan's new mandate, I expect that Turkiye will work harder to help all of us to protect the external European border, the Bulgarian President said.
Rumen Radev said that he had invited European leaders to participate in the task force initiated by Bulgaria to combat illegal migration and human trafficking, which is supported by Europol. The President pointed out that the financial and organisational centres of the migrant trafficking network are in different European countries and there is a need for rapid information sharing in order to counteract and coordinate operations across the EU. We will be successful when we track and stop the money flows and thus deprive this network of funds, the President said.
Asked about whether he describes the project presented for a regular government as expert or political, the President noted that there were no expert cabinets and the political responsibility would be borne by the political parties behind this government. Very soon it will become clear which party has what dominance in the respective ministries, the head of state said.
