Bulgaria to help EU, Turkey improve ties

ISTANBUL, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov pledged on Sunday to exert more efforts to help normalize relations between Turkey and the European Union.

"Turkey is the EU's largest neighbor and has the largest army in the region," Borisov said at the reopening ceremony of a historic Bulgarian church in Istanbul, calling on all sides to do their best to make 2018 a year in which Ankara and the bloc fix and normalize their relations.

Bulgaria holds the EU's rotating presidency for the next six months.

For his part, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim voiced hope for additional cooperation opportunities to emerge during Bulgaria's presidency. Saying Turkey is determined to pursue EU membership, he said, "I believe that during Bulgaria's EU term presidency, additional cooperation opportunities will emerge and will gain momentum."

During his visit to France last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke of Turkey's growing impatience following a bid for EU membership that started in 1987, as the accession talks have been stalled and French President Emmanuel Macron suggested a "partnership" with Turkey instead of a full membership.

"Bulgaria holds the rotating EU presidency," Erdogan said in Istanbul. "Having this reopening ceremony at this period would deliver an important message to the international community."

Ankara's relations with the EU and some of its member states are strained over issues including democracy and human rights, in particular after Turkey survived a coup plot in July 2016.

Erdogan and Yildirim joined the Bulgarian premier for the reopening of St. Stephen Church, a historic Bulgarian church which went through a seven-year restoration. Enditem