Bulgaria supports Turkey's accession to the European Union (EU), the Bulgarian News Agency reported Thursday, citing Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev.
Stanishev made the statement during his meeting with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who arrived Thursday on an official two-day visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of Stanishev.
Stanishev underscored the readiness of Bulgaria to help Turkey with its experience in negotiating EU accession.
He also stressed the responsibility of the two countries for stability in the whole region. "This is why the success of the regional cooperation process should be guaranteed through the use of key instruments: the Southeast Europe Cooperation Process, the Regional Cooperation Council and the new initiative of the EU, Black Sea Synergy," Stanishev said.
For his part, Erdogan said that his country expects the EU to stick to its commitments to Turkey. He said he is positive his country's accession to the EU would contribute to further growth in bilateral relations.
The two premiers agreed that political dialogue between the two nations is very active and that bilateral relations are acquiring a new quality, said the government information service.
Two-way trade now totals 4 billion euros (6.3 billion U.S. dollars) and is expected to reach 10 billion euros (15.7 billion dollars) in the coming years, the two prime ministers said at a business forum, which was a key part of the visit.
In his remarks at the opening of the forum, Stanishev said that in the two years since his visit to Ankara and participation in an Istanbul business forum dynamic development of political and economic relations between the two nations has taken place.
"The very fact that the commercial exchange grows by 1 billion dollars every year is indicative," said Stanishev, adding that trade is sure to grow further in the coming years driven by the economic growth of the two countries.
According to Stanishev, his government is ready to consider relaxed visa requirements for Turkish businesspeople.
He was quoted by the government press office as saying that as detailed inspections are planned into Bulgaria's readiness to join the Schengen area, it is important that the two countries prepare a bilateral agreement on readmission.
The two leaders also reportedly agreed on the need to sign a new agreement in transportation to address the increased traffic between their two countries.
The two sides agreed that the Nabucco project for the transmission of natural gas from Turkey to Central Europe through Bulgaria is a shared priority.
Source:Xinhua
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