PM Erdogan: Turkey is not a boutique but a strong state

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who made statements after meeting with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov said that Turkey is not a boutique but a strong state that has to think big. Turkey and Bulgaria held their first "joint Cabinet meeting" as part of a newly inaugurated High-Level Cooperation Council mechanism aimed at deepening economic ties and political consultations between the two neighbours. Prime ministers Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Boyko Borisov chaired the gathering, attended by about 10 ministers from each side, and also met separately face-to-face. The new cooperation mechanism aims to "accelerate bilateral ties under a new vision and deepen cooperation on the basis of concrete projects," Erdogan's office said ahead of the meetings. The agreements the two sides were set to ink included deals on economic cooperation, the encouragement of mutual investment and cooperation in the tourism sector as well as accords on the preservation of historical heritage and the mutual opening of cultural centres. Other accords covered cooperation in the fields of transport, environment and defence. One of the more significant projects sought by Sofia is the construction of a short pipeline that would connect the two countries' domestic gas networks in a bid to diversify Bulgaria's energy supplies, which are currently dependent on Russia.