The chemist who made possible the invention of the birth control pill has prescribed a controversial cure to reverse Bulgaria's demographic decline – Turkish migrants.

Speaking in an interview for the Bulgarian daily 24 Hours, Carl Djerassi said his invention was not to blame for the demographic imbalance in Europe, which was a result of a mixture of factors. The solution, according to him, lies in leading an intelligent immigration policy.

"One of the options for Bulgaria is to welcome migrants from Turkey. This is not as weird as it sounds – both countries lie on the route connecting Asia and Europe, besides Bulgaria has a big Turkish minority which is fairly well integrated," Djerassi, who is of Bulgarian origin, said.

"I am not talking about fundamentalists who may threaten the ethnic peace, but for people, who may find the chance to live in Bulgaria attractive," he added.

Djerassi, now 88 years old, was one of three researchers whose formulation of the synthetic progestagen Norethisterone marked a key step in the creation of the first oral contraceptive pill. He has repeatedly said that young Europeans who fail to procreate are committing national suicide.

The fall in birth rates in Bulgaria, Djerassi forecast, will lead to a real catastrophe for the country in 2050 when its population will not exceed 5,5 million.

"In 2050 some 35% of Bulgaria's population will be aged over 65. Who will be working then? This is a real catastrophe because Bulgaria will be not only a small, but also a very old country."

Carl Djerassi was born in Vienna where his father, Samuel, a Sephardic Jew originally from Bulgaria, was a doctor who specialized in VD. His mother, Alice, an Ashkenazi Jew, was a doctor who became a dentist. They divorced when he was four. From then on, he lived with his mother in Vienna, but spent his holidays with his father in Sofia.

Then, in 1938, after the Anschluss, his parents remarried (although only for two days) so that Carl's mother could escape Vienna for Bulgaria, which remained a safe haven for Jews during the war. In 1939, Carl and his mother traveled to America, where his father joined them in 1948. Carl didn't return to Vienna until a few years ago, when an Austrian television company made a documentary about him.

Djerassi last visited Bulgaria in the summer of 2003 and says he will be happy to come back to put on stage his latest – number nine – play.

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