BULGARIA

Bulgaria has a great share in the Eurasian Economic Summits organized by the Marmara Group Foundation.

Our relations, which started with President Zhelyu Zhelev, continued and expanded with President Petar Stoyanov.

Zhelyu Zhelev, who took part in the Eurasian Economic Summits from the very beginning, later made Dr Akkan Suver an external member of the Balkan Policy Club, of which he was the founding president.

Turkish-Bulgarian friendship was not a new friendship. Since Turks and Bulgarians have lived side by side for centuries in the same lands, under the same social and economic conditions, they are essentially similar in many points.

As the Marmara Group Foundation, with our belief in civic thought, we see Bulgaria as a friendly and reliable country with which we can strengthen co-operation in Southeast Europe, the Black Sea and Europe.

Because Türkiye and Bulgaria are countries that have adopted pluralist democracy and modern values. In fact, the preference of our countries in this direction is in harmony with the world's clearer lines.

As the Marmara Group Foundation, we see the most recent concrete example of Bulgaria-Türkiye relations, the extension of the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline from Türkiye to Bulgaria, from Bulgaria to Greece and then to Europe, as important for Balkan peace.

This co-operation, which is also very important for the Balkan economy, will strengthen competition and transparency in the natural gas market from various sources.

Marmara Group Foundation considers Bulgaria-Türkiye economic and social relations as a peace and co-development project.