Mustafa Çiftçi thanked Bulgarian authorities for extraditing 89 individuals to Türkiye.
Bulgaria and Türkiye will expand their joint activities to combat cross-border organised crime, drug trafficking, and illegal migration. According to a report by BGNES, Turkish Minister of Interior, Mustafa Çiftçi, announced this after his meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart, Ivan Demerclev.
Çiftçi described Bulgaria as a neighbouring, friendly country as well as a NATO ally. According to him, the two countries share a common region, and cooperation between them is of special importance for the safety of citizens.
Among the main topics of the talks were cross-border crimes and the fight against "new-generation" criminal organisations. The Turkish Minister of Interior warned that some of these organisations are now developing characteristics associated with terrorist organisations.
Çiftçi emphasised, "For the two neighbouring countries to successfully combat new-generation crimes, it is of great importance that we cooperate."
Çiftçi thanked the Bulgarian authorities for extraditing 89 individuals to Türkiye, sought by Ankara in connection with similar crimes. Talks are ongoing over the extradition of 19 more Turkish nationals. Türkiye, in turn, handed over 24 Bulgarian nationals to Bulgaria at the request of the Bulgarian authorities.
Another important issue was the fight against drug trafficking. Çiftçi noted that Ankara attaches great importance to the support of the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior in the fight against drugs and organised crime.
The Turkish minister also described cooperation within the trilateral mechanism between Türkiye, Bulgaria, and Greece as successful. According to him, the joint measures taken have resulted in a 97 per cent decline in illegal migration in the region and a shift in migration routes.
During the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding is also expected to be signed between the police academies of Bulgaria and Türkiye. The aim is to expand cooperation between the Interior Ministries of the two countries in all areas.
Çiftçi expressed his belief that joint activities would contribute not only to the security of Bulgaria and Türkiye but also to that of the entire region. He invited Ivan Demerciev to visit Türkiye.