SOFIA - Turkey and Bulgaria took on Tuesday the first step for ''Tunca Project'', one of the important initiatives to prevent floods especially around Turkish northwestern city of Edirne.
Turkish Energy & Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler and his Bulgarian counterpart Miroslav Sevlievski agreed to launch feasibility works and to establish a Turkish-Bulgarian joint technical commission to realize this project.
Guler, who is visiting Bulgaria with Turkish Finance Minister Kemal Unakitan, met Sevlievski. The meeting was also attended by Veysel Eroglu, the Director General of Turkish State Water Works (DSI), and Mehmet Bilgic, the Director General of Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (Botas).
Besides ''Tunca Project'', the natural gas pipeline project named ''Nabuko'' which will lie between Turkey and Austria via Bulgaria was taken up in this meeting.
After the meeting, three ministers held a joint press conference.
In his part, Guler said, ''dams to be built as a part of this project will not only prevent floods which cause serious problems in the region, but also be useful for the two countries.''
Guler said that the Turkish-Bulgarian joint technical commission would complete their feasibility works within 20 days, and stated that the report to be prepared by this commission would show how the project would be carried out.
Answering a question on ''Gorna-Arda project'', Guler said, ''the ball is in Bulgaria's court.''
On the other hand, Sevlievski said that Bulgaria was ready to extend every effort to realize ''Tunca Project.''