Rumen Radev: The effect for the region and Europe will be great if Bulgaria and Turkey join forces on energy projects

This agreement is historic for our countries, because for the first time it gives a foreign company the opportunity to gain access to the liquefied terminals - to the liquefied gas terminals of the Republic of Turkey and to your gas transmission system, and because it opens up new, hitherto unthinkable, prospects for cooperation. This was stated by President Rumen Radev at the beginning of his meeting with the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey Fatih Dönmez on "Dondukov" 2.

The meeting between the head of state and the Turkish energy minister is a continuation of the agreements for the development of bilateral relations in the field of energy, reached at the meeting of President Rumen Radev with his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on December 9, 2022, the press service of the president recalls.

"During the press conference with President Erdogan on December 9 in Istanbul, I shared that due to the geographical position and opportunities in the field of energy of Turkey and Bulgaria, our countries share a common responsibility not only for achieving security and diversification of energy supplies for our two countries, but also for our European partners and allies," said President Radev.

According to him, today's signed agreement is a step in this direction and is an expression of the good friendly relations, good neighborliness and trust between our two countries.

"I am glad that today we will have the opportunity to discuss the next steps in our cooperation. Because both Bulgaria and Turkey have not only important achievements in the field of energy, but also great ambitions for their development in this field. And the effect for us, for Europe, and for the region will be much greater if we continue to join efforts to implement new systems, new technologies - RES, production of green hydrogen, green energy and its transfer to Europe, together," the head of state also said.

Our wish is that 2023 will be a year in which the cooperation between our two countries deepens even more, said the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey, Fatih Dönmez. He pointed out that the new year has started very well, as proof of this is the signed agreement between "Bulgargaz" and "Botash" today.

Minister Dönmez expressed hope that the relations between the two countries in the field of energy will accelerate as soon as possible. He also recalled the meeting between President Rumen Radev and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in December and stated: "Within less than a month of the meeting between you and our president, we can already say today that we are reaping the fruits of this cooperation. Nowadays, it is impossible, in conditions of global crises, for countries to overcome these difficulties alone - cooperation is necessary. I hope that this cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkey will be an example for the countries of the region as well."

He pointed out that given its geographical position and its infrastructure, Turkey would assist with supplies from the Caspian Sea region, the Middle East or the Eastern Mediterranean.

Minister Dönmez also noted the need for new projects so that these supplies can be even larger and more efficient. In this sense, we are ready for cooperation with Bulgaria, he said.

In addition, President Radev mentioned another project. According to him, it was initiated by Bulgaria and was proposed to the European Commission on October 1 of this year. This is the Solidarity Spring project, which will allow the transfer of additional quantities of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe to begin immediately with minimal funds, President Radev explained.

According to him, Turkey has a key role in the realization of this project.