Bulgaria demands Turkey fork out for EU entry
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Bad blood between Bulgaria and Turkey is threatening to create a further obstacle to Turkey's EU membership hopes. A Bulgarian minister is now saying that Ankara must pay up $20 billion in compensation before Sofia will agree to talks on its neighbour's accession.
Bulgarian minister without a portfolio Bozhidar Dimitrov explained that the money is unpaid compensation which Ankara promised to Bulgaria for the property lost by tens of thousands of Bulgarians when they were forced to leave lands handed over to Turkey after the First and Second Balkan Wars in 1912-13.
Bulgaria and Turkey concluded a deal in 1925 in which they agreed the value of the lost land and property, but the compensation has never been paid. In 1983 the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry claimed that the assets left behind by the expelled Bulgarians were worth $10 billion.
Minister Dimitrov, who is responsible for government policy on Bulgarians living abroad, says that considering the years of foot-dragging Sofia is within its rights to demand at least twice as much money.
“This will be our firm condition in negotiations on Ankara’s entry into the EU,” he told the 24 Chasa newspaper.
“Turkey can afford to pay this, after all it is the world’s 16th biggest economy”, he said. “When it joins the EU, it will get even stronger, because many duties and excise taxes will be scrapped”.
Turkey began accession talks with the EU in 2005 but progress has been slow, with just 12 out of 35 negotiation chapters opened so far.
In 2006, eight chapters were frozen over Turkey’s refusal to open its ports and airports to traffic from Greek Cyprus. France and Greek Cyprus unilaterally blocked the opening of 10 other chapters.
Ankara has high hopes of reinvigorating its campaign now that Spain - a staunch supporter of Turkey's membership bid - has taken over the EU presidency.
United Kingdom
First of all give back what you owe to the people of the Turkish ethnic group who were forced out in the summer of 1989, of the land they were born - Bulgaria. And give them back all of their belongings, lost lives, property and unite the separated families caused by this distortion, just because they resisted the forced on them Bulgarian names and out in a similar situation to the Jews during WW2 by the Nazis because it was unlawful to talk turkish on the street and in their homes, and removed almost all of their rights and freedoms.
United Kingdom
What a shame on you "Bulgarian politician"! What even gives you the right to think about such a sinister lie, go and tell these lies to your kids at home, if you have any! They may just believe you! What about the land and property left [locked] in 1989 by the large Turkish ethnic group which was forced [more than half a million, and some of them were expelled in 24 hours] to leave their livelyhood in Bulgaria and leave the land (property, money, animals etc.) they were born in Bulgaria too, they were the "working hands of the country" thanks to them the communistic "economy" was ok and you had bread on your table, tell me how many bulgarians of your kind worked on the fields, and grew animals? You all were seated in offices "to rule the moonkeys" as some of your disgraceful bunch used to say! You humiliated the turks, you forced them out without lettim them take their own belongings, without anything and now you want money from them! What a crock of s**t! And you have the thickness to fabricate a make-believe stories! And you FORCED THEM good, hardworking people TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY they were born in, because of the sick ideas of the Bulgarian Totalitarian regime and its dictator Todor Jovkov?
even the newspapers wrote that most of the property of the Turkish ethnic group who was forced to leave Bulgaria, nwas burgled, in perios of 1-2years after they were forced out (more than half a milion citizens!) of Bulgaria in 1989 in the so called "immigration wave" to Turkey because they resisted the forced on them Bulgarian names which were newly produced by the sick-brained bulgarian politicians, claimed, and they claimed the fundamental rights they are entitled from birth as anyone on this Planet - their rights and freedoms including the roght to talk freely their own language on the streets - you people remember that you put these people in a situation worst than the Jews by the Nazis in the WW2 - you expelled them out, you carried out genocide in Belene, and you tortured many innocent people for reasons including talking their own language. And now you want money from them! Why? How much stotinki do you cost?
Who gives you rights to ask for money, are you a beggar? Or you would like to beg for these money so you can "justify" the Bulgarian "debt" or the so claled "lost money from EU" made by the robers in your Parliament, so you can give it to EU to be able to reach the fat European purse again to fill your pockets again?
You first should find out who burgled the money which were paid to your Parliament by the EU, and explain the 105 Bentley automobiles roaming around in your small "poor"country! You robing bunch of disgrace.
Are you goiong to pay the debt to EU? I and manhy others doubt it! You better find yoursef other activities to do, than robbing or so called by your fellow citizens "right-hand-left-pocket business" and stop lying, coz one day you may start believing in your own lies, if you havent started doing so - you sick, twisted minded guy. what about you Give back the lost lives of loved ones of the Turkish ethnic group members during your sick Rebirth programme, property and money and health, misery and separated families of the ones who left on and after 1989. If you have the guts, just stop talking and making a joke out of yourself!
Other
Apparently, Bulgaria joins the train of the countries seeking to bribe Turkey in her pursuit of EU membership! So be it! I don't think the 1925 agreement gives Bulgaria a unilateral right to demand compensation, given that a far larger number of Bulgarian Muslims (Turks, Pomaks, Roma...) were expelled into Turkey following the Balkan wars (not to mention that this group made nearly a third of the population in current borders of Bulgaria before the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-78). In event, both countries welcomed their kin in an effort to homogenize their populations. It is shameful to bring the issue like this...
