The President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tsvetan Simeonov hosted a meeting with representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Sofia. Н.E. Mehmet Sait Uyanık, Ambassador, Çağatay Baser, Commercial Counsellor, Onur Cokol, Commercial Counsellor, and Ahmet Gencehan Babis, Second Secretary, participated in the meeting and, together with the BCCI President, they exchanged opinions on the issues related to the bilateral economic cooperation.
Mr Simeonov noted that the relations are at an excellent level - there are no pending issues among the business organisations from the two countries. "What is more, cooperation is really active both on national and on regional level," he emphasised. Many regional Chambers of Commerce from Bulgaria maintain partnership relations with Chambers from Turkey and make business events and visits on a regular basis."
The President of BCCI shared that in 2025, the organisation celebrates 130 years of its establishment. According to him, the partnership with the Union of Turkish Commerce & Industry Chambers and Commodity Exchanges /TOBB/ has been excellent over the years and actively supports the relations among the companies from Bulgaria and Turkey. The cooperation is developing both on national and on international level within the framework of the Federation of World Chambers of Commerce and Eurochambres. Another long-standing partner of BCCI in our southern neighbour is the Turkish Confederation of Employers' Organisations /TISK/.
In the meeting, the state of the Bulgarian economy and the contribution of Turkish investors in our country were discussed. Ambassador Uyanık shared his impressions from his visits in different Bulgarian towns and noted that the companies with Turkish capital in Bulgaria also face some challenges, including finding suitable workers, importing specialists from Turkey, etc. The diplomat has been in Bulgaria for 7 months now and has already talked with companies and local institutions in Shoumen, Targovishte, Stara Zagora, Bourgas, Vidin, Varna and many other towns.
He underlined that, following the example of Turkey and Greece, which have signed a bilateral agreement to allow one-day visas, an improvement can be made to the process when Turkish citizens cross the border to Bulgaria. The Ambassador shared that Turkish businessmen know the environment in our country and work successfully - both on the local market and for foreign markets. The total volume of Turkish investments in Bulgaria amounts to USD 2.7 billion, according to Ambassador Uyanık.
The diverse tourist destinations, which attract tourists to both countries, were also discussed. Tsvetan Simeonov expressed expectations that tourist travels in both directions would grow.
Ambassador Uyanık and his team confirmed that in March, Turkish companies will participate in the Architecture and Construction Week in Sofia and a visit of some businessmen will be organised so that they meet Bulgarian partners. It was agreed that BCCI will assist in holding these initiatives successfully.