ANKARA - Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Ognyan Gerdjikov, who is currently in Ankara on an official visit, had a meeting with Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc in the parliament on Monday.
Prior to his meeting with Gerdjikov, Arinc said that Turkey and Bulgaria had relations deeply rooted in history, adding that those relations were improving further.
Arinc said, ''our relations are improving further and will be better.''
Arinc noted that Bulgaria was also a door for Turkey opening to Europe.
Stating that Turkish parliament attached great importance to development of relations with Bulgaria, Arinc said that they aimed at bringing relations between the two countries to the highest level with commissions and friendship groups. Arinc recalled that the agreement on Bulgaria's participation in NATO was approved in the parliament last October.
Gerdjikov said that he believed that his visit would be a forward step in relations between Turkey and Bulgaria.
Stressing that there were strategic relations between the two countries, Gerdjikov said that the two countries fought jointly against terrorism.
Gerdjikov said that Bulgaria would be a full member of the European Union (EU) soon and added that they hoped that EU would set a negotiation date for Turkey at the end of the year and Turkey would also be a full member of the Union.
(EÖ-AÖ) 23.02.2004