Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi met his Bulgarian counterpart, Ivan Demerdzhiev, in Sofia on Tuesday. The two ministers oversaw the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the law enforcement academies of the two countries and held a joint news conference.
Çiftçi underlined that the two countries need to strengthen cooperation, particularly in the fight against criminal gangs, as they share a border. “We are not just neighbors. We are also two friends and allies in the same region,” he said at the news conference.
Çiftçi said he discussed areas of cooperation with Demerdzhiev. “One of the primary areas where there is room for greater cooperation is the fight against cross-border crime. Türkiye is currently engaged in a fight against next-generation criminal organizations. They have evolved into next-generation terrorist groups,” he said.
Türkiye has stepped up its crackdown on criminal gangs, particularly those exploiting minors and recruiting them to carry out murders and extortion.
Çiftçi underlined that Türkiye does not view its own security independently from that of its neighbors, stressing that cooperation with Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry is valuable for peace and security in the region.
