The Proto-Bulgarians (Bulgars) were the population from which the modern Bulgarians were formed. They were a Turkic people that originated in Central Asia and came to settle in the Balkans after the collapse of the Old Great Bulgaria in the 7th century. In the early Middle Ages, the Proto-Bulgarians were Slavicized and founded a second and third empire in the Balkans. Orthodox Bulgaria competed with the Muslim Ottoman Turks for supremacy in the Balkans and was eventually subjugated in a series of wars in the 15th century and subsequently incorporated into the Ottoman Empire.[1] Numerous Turks immigrated to Bulgaria during Ottoman rule and in the Ottoman census of 1831, almost 37% of the population of Ottoman Bulgaria was Muslim. However, the Islamic population included not only Turks but also all other Muslims, including Pomaks, as many Bulgarians converted to Islam.[2]
After the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) and the establishment of the Principality of Bulgaria and the autonomous province of Eastern Rumelia, a part of the Turkish population in the Bulgarian territories started returning to the Ottoman Empire. Bulgaria's status as an Ottoman vassal, which came about through international mediation, existed only de jure, and Bulgaria recognized the suzerainty of Istanbul at best symbolically. Bulgaria had its own constitution, flag and anthem and pursued an independent foreign policy. From 1880 it also had its own currency. In 1885, Eastern Rumelia was de facto annexed by Bulgaria after a bloodless revolution, which the Ottoman Empire accepted with the Tophane Agreement. On 5 October 1908, Bulgaria finally declared its complete independence as the Kingdom of Bulgaria. In the Balkan Wars, Bulgaria was able to conquer more territories from the Ottomans and the current border between Bulgaria and Turkey was established in 1913 with the Treaty of Constantinople, which ended the state of war between the two sides.[1]
Bulgarian–Turkish relations subsequently improved. Both countries signed numerous agreements on intergovernmental cooperation and have intensified their economic relations. However, due to the high number of refugees from North Africa and the Middle East crossing the EU's external borders, Bulgaria began erecting a border fence on its border with Turkey in 2014.[3]
European Union
Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007. Turkey is still a candidate country for the EU, and
membership negotiations have been effectively frozen since 2016. Bulgaria fully supports Turkey's EU membership process, as it has effectively frozen membership negotiations.
NATO
Turkey joined NATO in 1952. Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004.
Economic relations
Both countries are important economic partners for each other. Turkey is one of Bulgaria's top 5 trading partners and accounts for almost 8 percent of total foreign trade. Between 2020 and 2022, the bilateral trade volume rose from $4.8 to $7.4 billion. 1,500 Turkish companies are active in Bulgaria and have invested more than two billion US dollars in the country.[4]
