ANKARA - Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov, who is currently in Turkey, was welcomed on Tuesday with an official ceremony in the Presidential Palace.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said in the ceremony that visits between Turkey and Bulgaria further improved relations.
Sezer said that Bulgaria was a neighbour and friendly country of Turkey and it would be an ally in the near future and stated that Bulgaria has become a country which contributed to stability and peace in the Balkans with its bold steps and comprehensive reforms.
Stating that Turkish minority in Bulgaria and those people's relatives in Turkey formed the basis of bridge between the two countries, Sezer said that developing political relations with Bulgaria were continuing in cooperation in economy, trade, culture and tourism fields, fight against terrorism, security and international organizations.
Sezer said that cooperation in economy field was one of major dimensions of relations between Turkey and Bulgaria.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said that the bilateral trade volume between the two countries was expected to exceed one billion dollars this year.
''Our companies are closely interested in infrastructure and privatization programmes in Bulgaria. The investments of Turkish firms in Bulgaria increase gradually. We are also pleased to see that Bulgarian companies are also interested in making trade and investment in Turkey,'' he said.
Stressing that relations with Bulgaria in fields of culture, tourism and social life were improving, Sezer said that one of the three Bulgarian citizens who visited foreign countries came to Turkey.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stated that the cooperation between the two countries was an important factor of the process of strengthening peace and stability atmosphere in the Balkans. ''The visit of President Mr. Purvanov to Turkey will enable us to take up bilateral relations in all dimensions and exchange views about the region and developments in the international field. I believe that our relations will further improve on the basis of friendship and mutual understanding,'' he said.
Bulgarian President Purvanov said in his part he believed that his visit would contribute significantly to improvement of bilateral relations, adding that he had the opportunity to thank Turkey for its support to Bulgaria's NATO membership.
Purvanov stated that Bulgaria's NATO membership would contribute to defense of Europe, adding that Bulgaria recorded great progress during the full membership negotiations with the EU. Purvanov stated that they would be pleased to share their experiences with Turkey.
PRESIDENT SEZER: COOPERATION OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN TURKEY AND BULGARIA INCREASE SINCE THERE ARE NOT ANY POLITICAL PROBLEMS
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stressed on Tuesday that cooperation opportunities between Turkey and Bulgaria increased since there were not any political problems between two countries.
Sezer met with Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov, who is paying an official visit to Turkey.
President Sezer and his Bulgarian counterpart Purvanov later chaired the meeting between delegations of two countries.
Sezer told reporters that they took up ways to improve bilateral and international cooperation between Turkey and Bulgaria in their constructive meetings.
Purvanov's visit laid the groundwork to search for ways to further improve bilateral relations, particularly economic and cultural relations, Sezer said.
Sezer recalled that Bulgaria was the second biggest trade partner of Turkey in the Balkans with over 1 billion U.S. dollars of annual trade volume and said that they reiterated their common determination to realize existing potential in economic relations.
Purvanov said that they took up all issues concerning two countries in their meetings.
They mainly debated further improvement of economic cooperation, Purvanov emphasized.
Purvanov expressed pleasure with trade volume between Turkey and Bulgaria and said that they expected that some problems in energy would be overcome.
Stating that they also took up increase of capacity of Kapikule border gate, Purvanov said that Turkish and Bulgarian companies could cooperate in reconstruction of Iraq.
ERDOGAN AND PURVANOV TAKE UP ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS AND WAYS TO INCREASE TRADE VOLUME
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that economic developments and ways to increase trade volume were taken up in his meeting with Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov.
Following his meeting with Purvanov, Erdogan said that he and Purvanov also debated participation of Rights and Freedoms Movement in the Bulgarian government.
Erdogan noted, ''we discussed situation of Turkish citizens in Bulgaria and Bulgarian citizens in Turkey.''
Asked if Koc consortium came onto agenda in their meeting, Erdogan said, ''yes, we take up this issue. But, this issue has been brought to court and President Purvanov also said so. We saw that Bulgarian President Purvanov has a positive point of view towards this issue.''
PRESIDENT SEZER HOSTS DINNER IN HONOR OF HIS BULGARIAN COUNTERPART
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer hosted on Tuesday dinner in honor of Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov, who is paying an official visit to Turkey.
Speaking in the dinner, Sezer said that relations between Turkey and Bulgaria had improved recently and noted that Turkish-Bulgarian relations continued to be a good example for all other regional countries.
Sezer stated that cooperation between two countries improved gradually.
Two countries started to realize the real potential particularly in commercial and economic relations, Sezer pointed out.
Sezer said that Bulgarian citizens of Turkish origin had played an important role in development of Turkish-Bulgarian relations.
''We sincerely wish that our kinsmen will live happily, contribute to development of their country, and continue to act as a bridge of friendship between Turkey and Bulgaria,'' Sezer stressed.
Sezer noted that Bulgaria was a country which had recorded significant process in integration with a common Europe and Euro-Atlantic structuring.
He would be pleased to see Bulgaria as an ally beside Turkey during the NATO summit to take place in Istanbul the following year, Sezer stated.
Sezer went on saying, ''support extended by European Union (EU) member countries to Bulgaria's target to integrate with the EU during Copenhagen summit, which was an important turning point in EU enlargement process, pleased its neighbor Turkey. We believe that a Europe, which foresighted statesmen who laid the groundwork of EU dream of, in which principles like democracy and state of law prevail, and which lives in peace, prosperity and security, will become stronger with integration of Turkey and Bulgaria to EU.''
Pointing out that the Balkans was a region with which Turkey had historical, cultural and humanitarian ties and had intensive and multi-dimensional relations, Sezer hoped that Balkan cooperation led by Turkey and Bulgaria would be an example for other countries in the vicinity which were deprived of stability and prosperity.
Sezer called for improvement of friendship between Turkish and Bulgarian people by seizing the opportunities.
Bulgarian President Purvanov thanked for Turkey's support to Bulgaria's NATO accession process and expressed belief that Bulgaria would continue to work for development of bilateral relations in the spirit of common European goals in the future.
Purvanov had a meeting with Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal prior to the dinner.
(BRC) 07.10.2003