Minister of Agriculture and Food Miroslav Naydenov has met with Turkish Ambassador in the Republic of Bulgaria H.E. Mr. Ismail Aramaz.The two agreed to cooperate in veterinary and phytosanitary control. Minister Naydenov noted one of the priorities – the good bilateral ties and cooperation in fight with infectious animal diseases coming from Asia.
Good cooperation is necessary to fight against FMD, underlined Minister Naydenov and asked for assistance to control the free animal movement in the regions near the boundary. There are excellent examples of joint work, such as the case with the tomato pest, Tuta absoluta, a year ago when the good communication and joint efforts helped solve the problem quickly and effectively, the minister said.
During the meeting, Minister Naydenov and Turkish Ambassador discussed also turbot fishing in the Black Sea amid the quotas the European Commission imposed on Bulgaria and Romania, which are insufficient to meet the two countries’ needs. The quotas could be raised only if Turkey joins Bulgaria and Romania’s requests. This would be an excellent example that it is possible to work well with Turkey before it accedes to the European Union.