President Radev: Bulgaria is the first country which reacted to the disaster in Turkiye

Bulgaria is the first country that reacted to the disaster in Turkiye, President Rumen Radev said at The World Ahead 2023 forum in Sofia on Monday. There were four hours between the moment the political decision was taken early on Monday morning and the takeoff of the two Spartan aircraft, he added, specifying that this is what it means to have teams and people ready who to be gathered as rescuers and medical specialists.

Radev expressed condolences and sympathy for the peoples of Turkiye and Syria. According to him, “we need a strong economy not only to live well today and tomorrow, but also to be able to help each other in such moments of huge misfortune, crisis, and disaster”. 

The Spartan aircraft have already returned to Bulgaria and are getting ready to leave again with other teams. Over 20 vehicles and more than 60 people have left by land already, Radev specified.

The head of State also said that the biggest problem for Bulgaria in the medium term is inflation and in the long term, demographics. Bulgarians have the lowest personal savings in the EU. The difference between the GDP per capita in Sofia and in the bottom municipality is 4.5-fold, Radev noted. "This is not good for a developed European country, which Bulgaria claims it is," he added.