Turkish Trade Minister to Visit Bulgaria in Bid to Boost Bilateral Ties

Turkey's Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan will pay an official visit to Bulgaria's capital Sofia on Nov. 18-19, the ministry has announced, according to Hurriyet daily news.

During the two-day visit, a delegation of some 200 businesspeople will accompany Pekcan, said a ministry statement on Nov. 17.

Pekcan was scheduled to meet with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Economy Minister Emil Karanikolov, and Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov.

At the meetings, topics will include bilateral trade and investments, construction services, cooperation with third countries, and customs and transportation problems.

Pekcan and Karanikolov were also slated to sign a cooperation agreement between the two countries' investment offices.

"Pekcan will also attend the Turkey-Bulgaria Business Forum organized by the TurkishForeign Economic Relations Board (DEIK)," read the statement.

Turkey and Bulgaria have balanced trade relations: last year Turkey's exports to Bulgariawere $2.8 billion, while imports from the country totaled $2.77 billion.

In the first nine months of 2018, bilateral trade topped $3.8 billion.

While Turkish companies have made $2 billion investments in Bulgaria to date, Bulgarians have $41 million in investments in Turkey.

Meanwhile, to date Turkish contractors have completed 36 projects in Bulgaria worth $1.5 billion.