Bulgarian customs officers at Sofia Airport have seized nearly USD 350 000 in undeclared currency from two Turkish citizens arriving from Istanbul.
The two men had arrived to Sofia Airport from Istanbul on Wednesday and had walked through the Green Nothing to Declare lane after collecting their luggage, the Customs Agency announced.
An inspection of the two men’s belongings revealed USD 349 800 in a men’s leather bag.
The passenger categorically refused to answer any questions or to sign an interrogation protocol.
A statement of offence was drawn up for the violation of Bulgaria’s currency reporting laws.
via Bulgaria: Customs Officers at Sofia Airport Seize USD 350 000 in Undeclared Currency – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency.
Cabinets of Turkey and Bulgaria to Have Joint Sittings
The cabinets of Turkey and Bulgaria will have joint sittings before the end of the current year. The first of a kind sitting was agreed with Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov who had recently visited Ankara and had talks with his colleague Ahmet Davutoglu. “Our common aim is to facilitate the economic and human contacts between the citizens of our countries making concrete steps towards close cooperation,” Mladenov said. The priority agenda of the joint sittings will be such important issues as transport, education, power engineering and common borders’ control. Among other topics they will also discuss gas pipes links and the possibilities for export of electricity from Bulgaria to Turkey and third countries, common border patrol, bilateral acknowledgement of university diplomas, etc., diplomatic sources told The Standart. Most probably the first sitting will take place in the second half of November.
Krassimira Temelkova
via Bulgaria – Cabinets of Turkey and Bulgaria to Have Joint Sittings – Standart.
Bulgaria to follow the example of Turkey in reducing alcohol tourism industry
14 August 2011 | 13:59 | FOCUS News Agency
Picture: FOCUS News Agency
Varna. Alcohol tourism affects the image of Bulgaria as a tourist destination and therefore it should be taken serious measures. That is what Assoc. Prof. Stoyan Marinov, board member of the Varna Chamber of Tourism said for Radio FOCUS Varna.
There already are moves in this direction by hotel keepers who revolt against this type of alcoholic events and activities related to alcohol performances. Largely, these alcohol events are caused by tour operators not by hoteliers. It is about tour operators who work with young Scandinavian tourists and partly with guests from England. They organize a tour of restaurants around the complex, to derive additional benefits, and tourists get drunk. It is not difficult to take measures against such activities, he said and pointed out that such tours are nothing new for Europe.
via Bulgaria to follow the example of Turkey in reducing alcohol tourism industry – FOCUS Information Agency.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul (middle) at the opening of the monument of legendary wrestler Koca Yusuf in Hitrino in Northeastern Bulgaria. Photo by BGNES
Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul has stirred a controversy when he gave a speech in Turkish in a village in Northeastern Bulgaria without allowing for interpretation.
Gul, who was visiting Shumen and Northeastern Bulgaria on the second day of his state visit, Tuesday, spoke for 9 minutes to about 2000 locals in the village of Hitrino, the correspondent of BGNES reported.
Even though the interpreter made an attempt for a consecutive translation of the speech, Gul did not stop to allow for interpretation. Thus, his speech was understandable for local ethnic Turkish population and the journalists from Turkey but not for the some 30 Bulgarian journalists.
According to the locals who heard Gul’s speech, he spoke about the good neighborly relations between Bulgaria and Turkey.
The Mayor of Hitrino Nuridin Ismail spoke after Gul in Bulgarian with interpretation in Turkish.
Gul was also present at the opening of a monument of legendary Bulgarian-Turkish wrestler Koca Yusuf (1864-1898) who is a native of the neighboring village of Cherna.
The 8-ton marble statute of Koca Yusuf is authored by Shumen sculptor Bihcet Danaci, it bears an inscription in Bulgarian, Turkish, and English.
Koca Yusuf is known for winning numerous wrestling matches across Europe and in America. In 1898, he perished on his way back to his native region of Northeastern Bulgaria on a trans-Atlantic voyage when his ship sank.
In Hitrino, Turkish President Gul was also congratulated by children reciting poems in Bulgarian and Turkish and performing Bulgarian folklore dances.
In Shumen, he visited the famous Tombul mosque, and the monument of the Creators of the Bulgarian State.
via Bulgaria: Turkish President Raises Eyebrows with No Interpretation Speech in Bulgaria – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency.
Turkey has no intention to become a member of the European Union (EU), according to Krasimir Karackachanov, leader of Bulgaria’s nationalist VMRO party.
VMRO leader Krasimir Karakachanov has insisted that Turkey does not intend to become an EU member state. Photo by darik news
In his words, the country opposes European integration because “this entails granting rights to the Kurdish minority, giving up control of the press and the islamization of society”.
“Turkey has chosen the way of Islam and that is a fact- the headscarves, their religious approach to problems, etc. “, VMRO leader says, emphasizing on what he describes as Turkey’s marked foreign policy orientation towards the East over the past years.
“Many experts have confirmed that Turkey is pursuing a neo-osmanism policy. This does not mean conquest; it means maintaining an economic and cultural footprint in the territories of the former Ottoman Empire. This is a very clear indication of Turkey’s orientation, which is not towards EU integration”, Karakachanov has said.
He has also stressed VMRO’s dissatisfaction with the yet unresolved issue of compensations that Turkey owes to the descendants of the Bulgarian refugees from Eastern Thrace.
“Not a single government has raised the question in Bulgaria-Turkey relations”, according to Karakachanov.
Krasimir Karakachanov has been endorsed to run for President in the upcoming October elections by VMRO’s unit in Sofia.
According to some estimates, Turkey owes a compensation of some USD 10 B to the descendants of the Bulgarians, who left their estates in Eastern Thrace as well as in Asia Minor in 1913-1920. These include over two million decares of agricultural land, homes, and other property.
Turkey’s EU accession has been a contentious issue in Bulgaria, with nationalist parties Ataka and VMRO acting as firm opponents.
After a visit of Turkish PM Erdogan to Sofia in early October, at which Bulgarian PM Borisov declared principled support fro Turkey’s EU accession, the nationalists from Ataka – who are actually at odds with VMRO, a more marginal nationalist formation – showed up in Parliament with special T-shirts saying “No to Turkey in the EU”, and warned that the issue could cause problems between them and GERB.
The Bulgarian Parliament, however, rejected calls by VMRO and Ataka to put Turkey’s bid to join the EU to a referendum.
via Bulgaria: Bulgarian Nationalist Party Claims Turkey Opposes EU Integration – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency.
“Turkey has been in intense negotiations with Russia’s Rossatom and Atomstroyexport to buy the reactors meant for Bulgaria’s second nuclear power plant on the Danube island of Belene. These are not ungrounded apprehensions – I have confirmed information,” Socialist MP Roumen Petkov said in the town of Pleven.
“It is up to the Russians to decide whether they should continue to put up with the recklessness and irresponsibility of Sofia’s government, or act according to their economic interests,” he explained.
In his words, the Russians could re-sell the equipment for NPP Belene, some of which Sofia has already paid for, and launch a lawsuit against the country before the International Court of Arbitration on account of Sofia’s careless behavior.
In his words, the Bulgarian taxpayers may have to pay between 600 million and one billion euros in compensations to the Russian companies, if the Bulgarian government decides to unilaterally cancel the agreements with the Russian constructors.
Evgeni Goranov
via Bulgaria – Turkey Wants to Buy the Reactors for Bulgaria’s Second NPP – Standart.
