site.btaUPDATED Bulgarian Parliament Will Initiate Top-level International Meeting on Migration

National Assembly Chair Vezhdi Rashidov pledged that the Bulgarian Parliament will initiate an international summit on migration during his talks with Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye, Mustafa Sentop, at whose invitation a Bulgarian parliamentary delegation is paying an official visit to that country. The two gave joint statements for the media after their meeting.

"I made a commitment for Bulgaria to be a mediator, to finally sit down to solve the migration problems," Rashidov said. These are solved with words, with participation, with mutual assistance, he pointed out. According to Rashidov, this will relaunch the process started in 2018 in Varna by former prime minister Boyko Borissov.

An agreement has been reached with the Chair of the Bulgarian National Assembly for Turkiye and Bulgaria to organize a conference on migration matters with the participation of international partners as soon as possible, Sentop also pointed out.

Rashidov said visa problems should also be put on the negotiating table. "I feel Europe is ripe, Turkiye is ready for diplomacy."

Mustafa Sentop stressed that deepening cooperation and solidarity between Turkiye and Bulgaria will contribute to the region's peace and prosperity. In his view, there is a serious potential for the development of relations in all areas: education, science, culture and tourism. Historical ties are also important. The two countries' relations are not just bilateral, Bulgaria is an important country for the region, he said.

At the beginning of the joint statement, Sentop said this was the first official visit to Turkiye by a Bulgarian Parliament leader since 2009.

Plenary talks were also held. On the Bulgarian delegation are GERB-UDF Floor Leader Desislava Atanasova, Bulgarian Rise Floor Leader Stefan Yanev, BSP for Bulgaria Deputy Floor Leader Georgi Svilenski, and MPs Daniel Lorer of Continue the Change, Sezgin Mehmed of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, and Nikolay Drenchev of Vazrazhdane.