Turks in Bulgaria act like bridges between two countries, Turkish deputy PM

"The social, political, and cultural relations between the neighbouring countries Turkey and Bulgaria are so strong," said Bekir Bozdag during his 3-day visit in Bulgaria adding he believed the relations would even get better. Turkish businessmen have been encouraged to invest in Bulgaria, he said, and emphasised Turkey's position in the world with its economy, politics, and legal system.  Bozdag focused on the importance that Turkey attached to Turks in Bulgaria and said, "Wherever in the world there is a friend and relative of Turkey, the welfare of the friend will be shared by 76 million people in Turkey as well as the pain of the friend." As part of his program, Bozdag also attended a fast-breaking meal organised by Istanbul's Bayrampasa Municipality, which held the fast-breaking meals during the holy month Ramadan in 9 countries in the Balkans. Turks in Bulgaria should carefully protect the values of their culture, religion, and language, he said stressing the must for a citizen to speak perfectly the language of the country where s/he lives. "Never ignore Turkish, on the other hand," Bozdag said, "You should be able to speak Turkish as well as you speak Bulgarian; and you should teach Turkish to your children, making them bilinguals." Referring to the crisis in Syria and Egypt, he said Turkey did not want to see that people were hurt and killed. "People around the world should compete for the welfare of humanity not for wickedness." Deputy PM Bozdag will also visit Kardzhali and Momchilgrad, where many Turks live, to celebrate Ramadan Feast following his visit in Pleven and Plovdiv on Wednesday.