Regional Industrial Association – Smolyan was visited by the Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Plovdiv Mr. Korhan Küngerü. The official delegation included also Mr. Mehmet Ali Erdem, Commercial Attaché to the Consulate General of the Republic of Turkey in Plovdiv and Mr. Murat Türkyilmaz, Vice Rector of Trakya University - Edirne. Representatives of other employers’ organizations in the region also participated in the meeting.
The guests were introduced to the opportunities for cooperation in the field of industry and tourism, as well as the topic of visa facilitation between the two countries so that more and more tourist could have the opportunity to visit Bulgaria.
Consul General Korhan Küngerü shared that trade and economic relations between the two countries are extremely important and expressed readiness to cooperate for their development. Commercial Attaché Mehmet Ali Erdem noted that in 2019 two successful Bulgarian-Turkish business forums have already been organized but due to COVID-19 restrictions this year’s edition of the forum has been postponed. Hopefully the forum will be organized in the spring of next year. For this purpose, bilateral visits were planned for the preparation of the forum. Other initiatives are envisaged to link certain industries in the region with their counterparts in some regions of Turkey.
The Vice Rector of Trakya University – Edirne Murat Türkyilmaz shared that joint initiatives have already been implemented with Plovdiv University’s branch in Smolyan and the foundations of cooperation in the field of education have been laid down. The university has 45 000 students of which 1300 are from Bulgaria. The Vice Rector noted that the doors of Trakya University are opened for all interested students and professors.
