A NEW agreement between Bulgaria and Turkey on an electricity and infrastructure deal appears to be in the offing.
This emerged from a joint news conference by Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on January 17, at the start of a two-day visit by Stanishev to Ankara.
Bulgaria and Turkey have been at odds for more than a year over an existing agreement whereby Turkey imports electricity from Bulgaria, and in return Turkish firms are meant to be given infrastructure work on the Upper Arda project.
Stanishev said that the Upper Arda agreement had “played its role” and a new agreement was needed. Erdogan confirmed that Ankara wanted to resume buying electricity from Bulgaria. A group of Turkish energy ministry officials would visit Sofia within days for talks, and it will be up to the energy ministers of the two countries to come up with a new agreement, the prime ministers said.
Stanishev said that Turkish companies could participate in infrastructure projects in Bulgaria, adding that these would have to be carried out in terms of European rules, as Bulgaria is required to ensure.
Also discussed by the two was the Nabucco project, a $5.4 billion venture by Turkish, Bulgarian, Austrian, Romanian and Hungarian firms to bring natural gas from Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Egypt and Syria through Turkey to Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. The need for the pipeline, which is scheduled to start construction in 2008 and be operational by 2011, has come into sharp focus in recent weeks because of pressure by Russia’s Gazprom to increase prices for its natural gas. Stanishev said that the Nabucco project should not be seen as in exclusion to other projects.
Stanishev led a large business delegation on his visit to Turkey. Against the background of the two countries’ rapidly developing business relations - bilateral trade has close to tripled in the past three years to reach $2.3 billion - and Bulgaria’s and Turkey’s respective pushes for European Union membership, Sofia and Ankara are keen to further trade ties.
An issue of immediate common interest is bird flu.
According to a report by Bulgarian news agency BTA, Erdogan said the disease was under control in his country and there was no risk to tourists. Bulgaria recently issued a travel advisory against its nationals visiting Turkey. Stanishev said that Agriculture and Forestry Minister Nihat Kabil wanted to meet his Turkish counterpart for discussions.
BTA said that Stanishev invited Erdogan to the opening of the first stage of a Sisecam glass and mirror maker expected in the second quarter of 2006.
According to the Bulgarian Government media office, Stanishev had high praise for the two countries’ active political dialogue. The two countries’ NATO membership and European prospects formed a solid basis for excellent bilateral relations, Stanishev said.
Bulgaria was ready to share its experience in European integration with Turkey, Stanishev said, a proposal welcomed by Erdogan.
Erdogan told the news conference that the visa issue was also discussed. He said that 1.5 million Bulgarian tourists visited Turkey annually and the lifting of visas would promote tourism. Stanishev responded that a commission, including the two countries’ foreign ministers, would handle this issue efficiently, according to EU regulations. The signing of a readmission agreement would help resolve the problem, Stanishev said.
Erdogan described the ethnic Turks living in Bulgaria and those that had migrated to Turkey as “the bridge that connects us”.
The Government media office said that Stanishev held that it would be a good move to implement joint projects in the field of tourism, given that both countries are favourite destinations. Both countries assigned priority to the adequate operation of the existing border crossings along the bilateral border.
The scheduled reconstruction of the Turkish section of the Kapitan Andreevo-Kapikule checkpoint will be accompanied by reconstruction of roads in Bulgaria to increase the admission capacity of the facility. Erdogan said that the Lesovo-Hamzabeyli checkpoint unveiled in May 2005 was highly important for two-way traffic, but both sides should carry out certain finishing works.
During Stanishev’s visit to Turkey, transport ministers Peter Moutavchiev of Bulgaria and his counterpart Binali Yildirim signed an agreement on the operation of the Svilengrad-Kapikule railway border crossing.
The agreement marks the beginning of a new stage in the modernisation of Trans-European Corridor IV on the route from and to Western Europe, used mainly by Turkish nationals and carriers.
During his visit, Stanishev was also scheduled to take part in the Bulgarian-Turkish business forum in Istanbul, organised by Turkey’s Council on Foreign Economic Relations, the Chamber of Commerce of Istanbul and the Union of Turkish Chambers of Commerce.
