Turkey, Bulgaria join forces at gates

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

DHA photo

Turkish and Bulgarian customs institutions are set to cooperate on reducing vehicle queues at the Kapıkule border gate, the Turkish customs undersecretary has announced. The two countries have also agreed to launch joint operations against cigarette smugglers and to strengthen the exchange of information.

The Turkish and Bulgarian Customs Administration Directorates recently conducted meetings in order to set the principles of relations between two countries’ customs administrations and draw up policies to eliminate problems, Turkish Customs and Trade Ministry Undersecretary Ziya Altunyaldız, told Anatolia news agency.

With the modernization works at the Kaptan Andrevo border gate completed and the Dereköy-Malko Tırove gate being opened to trailer truck traffic, passage from one country to the other will be substantially accelerated, he added.

Praising the joint operations and instant information exchange established between the two countries over narcotic smuggling, Altunyaldız said Bulgaria and Turkey had now agreed conduct joint operations against cigarette smugglers in addition to exchanging expertise on the issue.

The undersecretary said that these measures are to relieve tradesmen by easing and accelerating trade processes. The next meeting of the Customs Administration Directors will be held in Bulgaria before June, he added.