Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Bulgaria for “putting pressure” on expatriate Turks ahead of the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria at a conference of the Federation of Balkan Associations taking place in Ankara, Reuters reports.

“On the one hand you say democracy, on the other you are putting pressure on Turks. This is unacceptable. On the one hand you talk of the EU legal acquis, on the other you do exactly the opposite. This cannot be,” Erdogan said.

Last week the Bulgarian foreign ministry protested against violations connected with conditions for holding the Bulgarian parliamentary elections on the territory of Turkey and then recalled Bulgaria’s ambassador to Ankara for consultations in Sofia.