Boyko Borisov and Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Ankara Friday. Photo by BGNES
During his joint press conference with Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Bulgaria’s PM Boyko Borisov slammed the political parties trying to serve as “intermediaries”.
“No party intermediaries are necessary between Bulgaria and Turkey. I insist that our Turkish colleagues review their relations with certain circles in Bulgaria who present themselves as actors expressing the will of the Turkish state in Bulgaria. The nationalist formations and activities have overdone it. The so called “rings of firms” have created the conditions for such tensions. Instead of working on large-scale joint projects, we face such issues that try to divide us,” Borisov declared.
He apparently referred to the Bulgarian ethnic Turkish party “Movement for Rights and Freedoms” (DPS), which became clear since he cited the notorious “rings of firms” remark – which was used by the DSP leader Ahmed Dogan during the 2005 elections campaign when Dogan claimed that it was acceptable for every political party to have connections with economic entities.
Borisov is on a two-day formal visit to Ankara. Earlier on Friday he met with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and the two of them praised the good bilateral relations.