Bulgaria and Türkiye agreed to deepen cooperation with Romania on Black Sea navigation, linking maritime safety with discussions on trade and cross-border connections, the Bulgarian government said.
The Oct. 21 call came after drone attacks on commercial vessels in Bulgaria’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone, according to the government. The two leaders discussed cooperation between their countries and joint work with Romania.
Bulgaria said Prime Minister Rumen Radev had urged the European Council to support a temporary halt to military attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan backed the proposal during the call, the Bulgarian government said. It described the approach as one that could serve the interests of all countries.
Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications said Erdoğan expressed sorrow over a drone attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. The statement said Türkiye had discussed safe navigation in the Black Sea with Russia and Ukraine.
Trade and transport links were also on the agenda. Türkiye’s statement said Erdoğan would continue working to strengthen ties with Bulgaria, particularly through trade. Bulgaria said the leaders discussed increasing border-crossing capacity and expanding connections between the countries, including with EU financial support.
Radev invited Erdoğan to a Sofia summit planned for early next year on connecting Europe and Central Asia. Erdoğan invited Radev to the COP31 Leaders’ Summit in Antalya on Nov. 11-12, Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications said.
The next meeting mentioned was the COP31 Leaders’ Summit, scheduled in Antalya for Nov. 11-12.
