site.btaInterior Minister Demerdzhiev Meets with Members of Internal Affairs Committee of Turkish Parliament

Caretaker Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev on Friday held a meeting with visiting members of the internal affairs committee of the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye, led by its chair Celalettin Guvenc.

The delegation is on a two-day visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of Hamid Hamid, chair of the parliamentary committee on internal security and public order.

"Bulgaria has the ambition to be an active participant in the talks between the EU and Turkiye to reach a balanced solution that takes into account both the interests of Turkiye and the interests of the countries guarding the external borders of the Union," Demerdzhiev said at a briefing after the meeting.

"Only with such an approach can we achieve a lasting solution to the migrant crisis that is satisfactory for both Turkiye and the EU," the minister said.

"Our efforts alone are not enough to tackle the unprecedented migrant crisis we both face. The EU needs to be more closely involved," Demerdzhiev pointed out.

He added that Bulgaria and Turkiye have the ambition to further develop their bilateral relations in this area.

According to him, the meeting with the Turkish delegation focused on the area where bilateral ties can be improved, including several infrastructure projects. The participants also identified the need for even closer cooperation in the fight against illegal migration, and discussed the capabilities of the two main crossing points between the two countries: Kaptain Andreevo and Lesovo. The Interior Minister expressed Bulgaria’s ambition to rebuild these crossing points in such a way that they acquire a completely new functionality.

"Turkiye is fulfilling its obligations regarding the fight against illegal migration, criminal groups and drug trafficking," Guvenc told the briefing, adding that his country is ready to increase cooperation with Bulgaria.

"Before coming to Sofia, we carried out an inspection of the border crossings. This visit is a continuation of the well-developing friendly visits between the two countries, which have been particularly intense recently," Guvenc said.

According to him, Bulgaria and Turkiye share a very open approach in addressing bilateral issues, which he described as promising.

"Our good cooperation is already yielding concrete results. Bilateral trade is now over seven billion dollars, which meets the needs of the peoples of both countries. In terms of fighting crime, we also have two positive developments. With regard to the tragic incident in which a border guard was killed in Bulgaria, I must report that the perpetrator of the murder has been apprehended and handed over to the prosecution. His interrogation is currently under way in cooperation with the Bulgarian prosecutor's office. I fully share the grief of the family of the deceased officer. We are ready to provide moral and material support. I would also like to assure you that this is an isolated incident. The perpetrator is a person who is involved in theft and is known to everyone in the area. On the other hand, one of the perpetrators of the terrorist attack on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul was caught in Bulgaria and handed over to Turkiye. We have a truly exemplary cooperation in the fight against terrorism," the Turkish MP added.

Earlier on Friday, the Turkish delegation was received by National Assembly Chair Vezhdi Rashidov.