Suleyman Gokce

''This year was full of events and we are ready to commemorate the first anniversary of the coup attempt in Turkey'', Süleyman Gökçe , the Ambassador of Turkey to Bulgaria, told NOVA.

All Bulgarian media outlets, websites included, should take off a campaign video which shows Turkey's Ambassador Suleyman Gokce, the Central Election Commission (CEC) has ruled.

Earlier, the Council on Electronic Media (CEM) referred the case to the Foreign Ministry, after the video had sparked outrage from nationalst VMRO party.

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has summoned Turkey's Ambassador Suleyman Gokce over reported campaigning of a Turkish official in favour of a certain party running in Bulgaria's early elections.

DOST party will work toward strengthening Bulgaria's relations with neighbouring Turkey, its leader Lyutvi Mestan has said.

"The Republic of Turkey can be of great help to us," Mestan told Turkey's Anadolu Agency on Sunday in his first interview for foreign media after last week's founding of DOST party.

Bulgaria's new ethnic-Turkish party, Democrats for Responsibility, Freedom and Solidarity, DOST, denied having links to the Turkish government and confirmed its pro-NATO and pro-EU orientation on Tuesday.

The expelled leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), Lyutvi Mestan, founded his new party on Sunday.

The founding conference was held in hall 3 of the National Palace of Culture (NDK) in the Bulgarian capital and was attended by 1103 founders.

Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov on Friday say his institution had done its best to prevent a diplomatic conflict with Turkey from spiralling.

Speaking before lawmakers as part of a regular Q&A session with ministers, however, he acknowledged ties between the two countries had been strained by some recent developments.

Turkey is said to have recalled its consul from Plovdiv, Bulgarian daily 24 Chasa reported on Thursday citing an "informed source".

Alper Aktas had been appointed consul of Turkey to the second largest Bulgarian city in 2014. His term of office was set to expire in summer 2016.

Bulgaria's Foreign Minister has urged Turkey's Ambassador Suleyman Gokce to abide by the Vienna Convention and to "do his best" to dispel the impression that he is trying to interfere in domestic policy.

Both the current leadership of predominantly ethnic Turk Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party and its expelled chair Lyutvi Mestan are attending a second day of commemorations of the tragic events for Bulgaria's Turkish minority in Saturday.