Türkiye, Bulgaria plan new border crossing, urge US-Iran talks

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated on Thursday that Türkiye and Bulgaria have reaffirmed their joint commitment to construct a new border crossing north of the Kapikule border gate—Europe’s busiest land border crossing—while also calling on the US and Iran to cease hostilities and resume negotiations. Speaking at a joint press conference in Sofia with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova, Fidan said the two NATO allies are deepening cooperation in border security, energy, transportation, and trade. “We confirmed our joint will to build a new border crossing north of Kapikule,” Fidan said, adding that they also discussed increasing capacity at existing crossings and advancing road and railway projects to strengthen regional connectivity.

Energy cooperation and trade

Fidan noted that Turkish Petroleum will begin oil and natural gas exploration activities this year in Bulgaria’s Han Tervel block, located in its exclusive economic zone. He emphasized that cooperation in energy and transportation has directly contributed to bilateral trade, which exceeded €8.4 billion ($9.8 billion) in 2025. Fidan also highlighted the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group, established by Türkiye, Bulgaria, and Romania, as an important initiative for navigation safety in the region.

Call for US-Iran talks

On the renewed US-Iran tensions, Fidan urged both sides to immediately stop mutual attacks and return to the negotiating table. “We recommend that the parties immediately stop their mutual attacks, return to the negotiating table and finalize the text they were close to completing,” he said, warning that escalation would benefit no one. He also emphasized that EU defense and security initiatives should include Türkiye, a strong NATO ally. His remarks come amid a complete Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz and recent US strikes on Iranian territory.