Turkey will continue to strictly implement the Montreux Convention on the Straits, was the message sent from Sofia, where Hakan Fidan is on an official visit.

Speaking after his meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart, Maria Gabriel, the Turkish Foreign Minister welcomed the recent agreement between Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania on the establishment of the Black Sea Mine Action Task Force, calling it an exemplary case for regional security cooperation.

“As coastal states, we see it as a step that is consistent with both the principle of regional ownership and the spirit of the alliance,” he said, adding: “We will continue to strictly implement the Montreux Convention and we cannot even think about this issue, rather, let’s talk about it.”

Hakan Fidan said Turkey and Bulgaria are NATO allies bordering the Black Sea and therefore the security and stability of the Black Sea is of vital importance to both countries. “In this context, we attach great importance to ensuring that the war in Ukraine does not lead to an escalation in the Black Sea,” he stressed and pointed out that Ankara is working with the United Nations and the parties involved to restore freedom of trade navigation.

It is recalled that after Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Ankara invoked Article 19 of the Montreux Convention and closed the Bosphorus Straits to the warships of both the involved parties and non-coastal states. Recently, Ankara announced that minesweepers donated by the United Kingdom to Ukraine would not be allowed to pass through the Straits. Turkey’s Navy chief, Admiral Erzumed Tatlioglu, also said in a speech in October that “we don’t want NATO and America in the Black Sea.”

The Turkish foreign minister conveyed to Sofia a proposal to organize a high-level cooperation meeting between the two countries, which could take place on the occasion of a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Bulgaria, possibly after local elections in Turkey in March.

Hakan Fidan declared himself satisfied with the positive course of economic relations between Turkey and Bulgaria. The volume of bilateral trade has exceeded 7 billion dollars and the goal, he said, “is to reach the goal of 10 billion dollars as soon as possible.”

Turkey carries out almost all of its exports to Europe by road through Bulgaria. “For this reason, we are in constant contact with the Bulgarian authorities to facilitate the passage of our trucks across the border,” the Turkish minister said.

Hakan Fidan met in Sofia with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, Prime Minister Nikolai Denkof, Grand Mufti Mustafa Hadji and the leadership of the Rights and Freedoms Movement, a party that mainly represents minority voters.