Bulgaria’s president praises Türkiye for assistance in battling fires

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev expressed his gratitude to Türkiye Saturday for its swift support in battling forest fires ravaging parts of Bulgaria.

My sincere gratitude to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the timely support of the Republic of Türkiye and the courageous Turkish firemen in the fight against the devastating fires in Bulgaria

Rumen Radev

Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Borisov Glavchev also thanked Türkiye for sending a team to contribute to the country’s fire-extinguishing efforts.

Erdogan’s statement of solidarity

Responding to Radev’s post, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized the humanitarian responsibility in combating forest fires.

Fighting forest fires is a humanitarian responsibility for all of us. Türkiye will continue to stand in solidarity with its friends in difficult times

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Details of fires

• The fire erupted on July 13 in the Svilengrad region of Bulgaria, approximately 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from the Turkish border.
• Over the following two days, the blaze spread to Mladinovo and Mihalic in the south, burning tens of thousands of hectares of forest and agricultural land.

Collaborative efforts

Türkiye assisted its neighbor with firefighting efforts, joining the Bulgarian fire brigade and civil defense officials who reported more than 200 fires across the country in recent days.