After talks with his Turkish colleague in Istanbul on Wednesday, PM Boyko Borissov stated, just hours before today’s session of the European Council that the Bulgarian delegation at the forum would provide “full support” to Turkey. Borissov sees it in a total agreement with Ankara’s request for the establishment of a safety zone in Syria, also in Turkey’s joining the list of the so-called “safe countries of origin” and in providing financial aid by the EU for our southern neighbor. All these stances are not new ones, Sofia has already defended those before European forums and partners, and a part of those have already found consensus, or it is on its way.

PM Borissov voiced his stance to the September-held EU emergency meeting, saying that the establishment of a safety zone in Syria was necessary. He reiterated his position in the end of last week, while talking to President of the European Council Donald Tusk. The idea is decent camps to be built up, in order for the refugees to find shelter there till the end of the conflict – in their own country, instead of in Europe. Thus they will be able to return quickly to their native places. Such a decision would be beneficial to Bulgaria, diminishing the strong migration pressure towards it. In September the EU rejected the idea of Ankara, but it stated its readiness to discuss it in the beginning of October.

A few days ago, at a sitting of the EU interior ministers Bulgaria voiced its support for Turkey’s entering into the safe countries of origin list. The sitting consolidated with the idea as a whole, but some reserves remained. President of the EC Jean-Claude Juncker has recently stated that Turkey’s staying out of the safe countries of origin list would mean that its EU accession negotiations should be suspended at once. This recognition is on its way to happen, because the stopping of these negotiations is unthinkable right now more than ever. Besides that Turkish President Recep Erdogan has already presented to Brussels an action plan, engaging its country to receive back more quickly those migrants, who have penetrated the Bulgarian, Greek and Romanian territories from its border. It also shall raise the level of cooperation with the Bulgarian and Greek authorities for the stopping of the common borders’ illegal crossing. The plan further envisages that the Turkish side will fortify its border strength, tightening its visa policy towards states – sources of migrants and also improving the fight with channeling, registering all migrants, arrived in its lands.

Bulgaria also supports the financial aid to receiving countries like Jordan and Lebanon, explaining that those deserve it due to the generous sheltering of refugees as of four years. According to Sofia those countries deserve not only financial support, but also the increasing of their capacity for receiving and registration of asylum seekers should be upheld, along with the counteraction to illegal human trafficking.

The latest statements of Mr. Donald Tusk give us reasons to suggest that the EU is ready to compromises in its relations with Turkey, but if the latter decreases the refugee flow to Europe from the Middle East. The country is a serious factor for this right now as well, but there is still more to be done. The statement of Mr. Tusk that “we can’t cope with this on our own - cooperation will be beneficial for both parties” gives hope on a positive development of the situation.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev