site.btaEconomy Minister Ninova, Finance Minister Vassilev Confer with Visiting Turkish Trade Minister Muş

Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Korneliya Ninova conferred with visiting Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet Muş here on Thursday. Muş is on a working visit, leading a large government delegation, the Bulgarian Economy Ministry said in a press release.

The participants in the meeting concurred that the disrupted supplies of steel products due to the war in Ukraine will be offset by increasing the EU import quota from Turkey. Turkey’s capacity of reaching the increased quota volume, and the import of steel products into Bulgaria, were also discussed, the Bulgarian Economy Ministry reported.

Bulgaria and Turkey are traditionally close partners and mutual trade increases even during the crisis, Minister Ninova stressed. Minister Muş thanked the Bulgarian authorities for the good business environment in Bulgaria, evidenced by the large number of Turkish investments in this country.

Ninova also briefed Muş on the measures the Bulgarian government takes to tackle the crisis.

The two sides discussed the forthcoming convening of the Intergovernmental Bulgarian-Turkish Committee for Economic Cooperation, as well as the possibilities for cooperation in the rapidly developing Bulgarian industrial zones, which are of interest to foreign investors.

Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds and Finance Minister Assen Vassilev also conferred with the Turkish delegation led by Trade Minister Muş, the Bulgarian Finance Ministry said in another press release. Attending were National Customs Agency Director Pavel Tonev, Deputy Finance Minister Iaydjiev, and Violeta Lorer, Vassilev's Chief of Cabinet.

The meeting discussed cooperation in the field of customs services, possibilities for increasing the capacity of customs offices, freight transport transit, energy prices and options for using alternative gas supply routes.

The two sides concurred that the war in Ukraine impacted the supply network of basic foods and raw materials, thus putting pressure on border control checkpoints between Bulgaria and Turkey (Kapitan Andreevo-Kapikule and Lesovo-Hamzabeyli), which necessitates the modernization and increase of the capacity of these checkpoints.

The meeting also discussed the prospects for developing railway transport, and possibilities for cooperation in the fields of border control and combating smuggling.