In a telephone conversation, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev asked his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a coordinated action aimed at bringing back Bulgarian and Turkish ship crews stranded in Ukrainian ports, the presidential press office said.

Currently, there are two Bulgarian ships in distress - "Rozhen" in the Black Sea and "Tsarevna" in the Sea of ​​Azov. Bulgaria’s head of state also pointed out the country's readiness for boosting partnership in the sphere of energy and for the provision of alternative energy supplies from Turkey in case of further deepening of the war in Ukraine.

President Radev and President Erdogan expressed the common position that bilateral trade of 6.5 billion dollars did not meet the capabilities of the two countries that have greater potential for co-operation in the spheres of economy, mutual investments, energy and security.