Bulgarian – Turkish business forum was held at BCCI

The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, together with the Commercial Section of the Turkish Embassy in Sofia, organized bilateral meetings with Turkish companies from the OSTİM Industrial Zone, Ankara, Turkey.

The event was opened by the President of BCCI Tsvetan Simeonov, who in his greeting to the participants expressed satisfaction with the great interest of companies from both countries in the first event to be held in-person after the lifting of the restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BCCI and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) did not stop working and continued serving businesses in both countries during the two-year COVID-19 crisis. The need for faster and more efficient work by the customs authorities of both countries in order to avoid logistical and transport problems on both borders was emphasized.

Mr. Burhan Nemutlu, President of the Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BULTİŞAD), welcomed the participants. He pointed out that Turkey is one of Bulgaria's leading partners and the potential for cooperation is huge but is not utilised to the maximum. It was stressed that the joint chamber seeks to build bridges of trust and understanding between businesses from both countries.

Mrs. Sinem Taştan, Commercial Counsellor of the Turkish Embassy, expressed satisfaction with the holding of the first in-person meeting after a break of more than two years due to the restrictions caused by the global pandemic. She informed that at the moment Turkish investments in Bulgaria amount to EUR 2.5 billion. About 70 active Turkish companies operate in Bulgaria, providing 15 000 jobs. The current trade turnover is about EUR 5.2 billion. More than 2200 trucks pass through the land border checkpoints between the two countries every day.

Mr. Orhan Aydın, Chairman of the Board of OSTİM Industrial Zone and OSTİM Tech Park made a detailed presentation of Ostim Industrial Area.

Yulian Balchev, Senior Expert at Invest Bulgaria Agency, presented the investment and trade opportunities in Bulgaria.

The forum ended with bilateral business meetings between companies from Turkey and Bulgaria.