Bulgaria insists that Turkey started to implement its readmission agreement with the EU for third country nationals as soon as possible, Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov has said at a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday.

“We are calling for a quick start to the implementation of the agreement. This is one of the conditions for achieving liberalisation of the visa regime [for Turkish citizens traveling to the EU]," Mitov said, according to public radio broadcaster BNR.

Daniel Mitov and Mevlut Cavusoglu shared the opinion that in the run-up to the start of implementation of the readmission agreement by Turkey the two neighbouring countries will continue to cooperate successfully, including with regard to the protection of their common border, the Foreign Ministry in Sofia said in a statement.

The meeting between Daniel Mitov and Mevlut Cavusoglu took place in Sochi, Russia where a meeting of the Council of foreign ministers of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) was held.

Last month, the Bulgarian government ratified the protocol to the readmission agreement  that allows for irregular migrants who cross into Europe to be sent back to Turkey.

The protocol sets the specific requirements, conditions and procedures to apply the agreement and the roles which institutions on both sides of the common border have in the process.