ANKARA - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan received on Wednesday Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi.
In the meeting, Erdogan and Pasi decided to open a new border gate between Turkey and Bulgaria to serve touristic purposes.
Erdogan and Pasi discussed bilateral relations and international issues in their meeting.
Pasi expressed his gratitude to Turkey's support for Bulgaria's NATO membership.
In the meeting, Pasi said that Bulgaria would exert efforts for Turkey's European Union (EU) full membership after it became an EU full member two years later.
Pasi also noted that they could even think of eliminating the borders since they considered bilateral relations very well.
Recalling that this year was the 125th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relationship between Turkey and Bulgaria, Pasi said that the visit Erdogan would pay to Bulgaria on July 8-9 had a special importance to this end.
Erdogan said that opening border gates between Turkey and Bulgaria would not be sufficient.
Highways between two countries should be rehabilitated, Erdogan stated.
Erdogan noted that problems that Turkish kinsmen and truck drivers faced in Bulgaria should be solved.
Pasi also thanked Erdogan for restoration of St. Stefan Church in Istanbul and promised that the Bulgarian government would extend necessary support for repair of Muradiye Mosque in Plovdiv.
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi, who started his meetings in Ankara earlier in the day as the guest of Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, held a joint press conference with Gul after their meeting.
In the press conference, Gul said improvement of relations between Bulgaria and Turkey made direct contribution to stability, economic development and prosperity of the Balkans. Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi, in his part, said that Bulgaria expended support to Turkey's European Union (EU) process.
Turkey and Bulgaria signed three agreements following Gul-Pasi meeting. These agreements envisage cooperation in search-and-rescue efforts in the Black Sea, cooperation in science, culture and education for the period of 2004 and 2006 and mutual 30-day visa exemption for service passports.
Pasi was received by Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and met with Turkish Deputy Parliament Speaker Yilmaz Ates and Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal.
(BRC) 26.05.2004