Balgarianovinite.com Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci paid a working visit to Bulgaria on Tuesday. After meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart, Ivan Demerdzhiev, the two held a joint press conference.
Demerdzhiev reported that Turkiye will assist Bulgaria in identifying assets acquired through corrupt activities, as significant amounts of capital are transferred to Turkiye and other countries as a result of corrupt activities in Bulgaria.
Cross-border crime was one of the main topics that the two ministers discussed. Ciftci said: “We believe that through cooperation with the Bulgarian Interior Ministry, we will achieve tangible success in combating [new-generation] crimes.” The Turkish Interior Minister also thanked Demerdzhiev for the successful extradition of 81 alleged perpetrators of this type of new-generation crime. Negotiations with Bulgaria continue regarding 19 Turkish citizens whose extradition has been requested. Turkiye has handed over 24 Bulgarians whose extradition had been requested.
Ciftci emphasized the importance of fighting drug trafficking. Turkiye attaches enormous importance to the support provided by the Bulgarian Interior Ministry in the fight against drug trafficking.
Demerdzhiev said: “We share the Turkish side’s view that crimes committed by young people are a phenomenon that we need to combat, and we agreed to cooperate in this area.” He added that no country on its own can ensure the security of a region, which is why he is glad that Bulgaria and Turkiye enjoy good relations that provide a solid foundation for achieving security in the Balkans and the Black Sea region.
Demerdzhiev reported that the fight against illegal migration, drug trafficking, drug distribution, human trafficking and smuggling were among the common priorities that he and Ciftci identified. “I assured my Turkish counterpart that Bulgaria will fight organized crime and terrorism in all its forms without compromise,” Demerdzhiev added.
The police academies of Bulgaria and Turkiye signed a memorandum of understanding. The Bulgarian Minister said: “We see this document not only as a basis for better interaction between the two academies, but also as an action that deepens the opportunity for our officers to create purely human relationships of trust during their training, which can later be transferred to good professional interaction.”
Following the bilateral meetings and the subsequent joint statement to the media, the Turkish delegation took a brief walk through downtown Sofia, visiting the Office of the Chief Mufti and the Banya Bashi Mosque.
Speaking to BTA, Minister Ciftci highlighted some key points from his bilateral talks, specifically emphasizing the trilateral mechanism adopted some time ago between Bulgaria, Turkiye, and Greece to combat illegal migration. He underscored that the three neighbouring countries plan to focus their efforts on transforming it into more effective cooperation against cross-border crime, new-generation organized crime groups, and drug trafficking.The guest expressed confidence that productive visits such as Tuesday’s would lead to more concrete results in the coming days. Turkish Interior Minister Visits Sofia, Holds Press Conference with Bulgarian Counterpart 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-08-11 12:24:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law