Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) shakes hands with Bulgarian President Rumen Georgiev Radev during their meeting in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Dec. 9, 2022. (Turkish Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)
ISTANBUL, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bulgarian President Rumen Georgiev Radev reaffirmed the need for stronger ties on Friday during a meeting in Istanbul.
"We are in a time of severe challenges not only to the order in the Balkans but also the order in the world," said the Turkish president in a joint press conference with his Bulgarian counterpart.
"Thus, as two close NATO allies, we believe our solidarity should be increased more than ever. We agreed on the will to take the bilateral, regional, and global relationships to higher levels. We also agreed on the need to cooperate actively on the issue of irregular migration," he said.
Erdogan also signaled even-closer cooperation in some critical areas, with orders already given to increase the volume and capacity of energy and logistics between the two neighbors.
For his part, Radev expressed appreciation to Erdogan for providing Bulgaria with Liquid Natural Gas to solve the country's energy shortage following Russia's decision to halt gas exports to Bulgaria.
"Our Ministry of Energy will be looking into new ways to meet Bulgaria's (energy) demand and help them out," reaffirmed Erdogan.
Türkiye and Bulgaria, sharing deep historical and cultural ties, enjoy a close relationship with a trading volume of more than 6 billion U.S. dollars and a border gate amongst the busiest in the world.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R, Rear) and Bulgarian President Rumen Georgiev Radev (L, Rear) attend a joint press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Dec. 9, 2022. (Turkish Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)■
