Turkish Daily Warns of Ankara's nterference in Bulgaria

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Turkeyhas managed to stir confusion inBulgariaand meddle in the country's internal affairs to an extend that leaves no room for rhetoric an article reads in the Turkish dailyCumhuriyet [TR] as quoted by the Bulgarian News Agency.

DescribingBulgariaasTurkey's "best neighbor" the author Ceyda Karan summarizes developments in relations of the past months underlining they are not just connected to the downing of the Russian Su-24 warplane and the dispute with Russia that followed suit.

Bulgaria's center-right Prime Minister has no interest in ruining relations with Ankara sharing withTurkeya 275-km long border and considering threats by Turkish officials it could be opened to let migrants into the EU.

HoweverBulgariais also seeking to maintain relations with Russia both countries having had the same political regime and systems for decades in the past and Sofia being dependent on Russian gas supplies and tourists.

Developments at the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) the predominantly ethnic Turk party that is also the third-larges political force are also summarized in relation to the expulsion ofLyutvi Mestanas head of the party last year.

TheDPS's honorary chairAhmed Dogancriticized Mestan for siding withTurkeyin the dispute and betraying national interests which resulted in the the latter'sdismissalafter he had been pursuing rapprochement with Ankara since taking over the party in 2013 (after Dogan retired from active politics).

"[Turkish President]Erdoganextended a hand to Mestan and he embraced it with both hands" the text goes on in a reference to widespread comments onTurkey's alleged support for the Mestan the way Ankara supposedly backed the National Freedom and Dignity Party (NPSD) set up byDPSco-founderKasim Dalin 2012.

However as Mestan ispreparing to found "the third Turkish party"on February 27 Sunday one should know it "will fail to go beyond the 4-percent threshold" to make it into the Bulgarian Parliament.

Ethnic Turkish expats are concerned the text notes further. Bulgarian media outlets have repeatedly suggested it is the expats who leftBulgariaduring the assimilation policies of the so-called "Revival Process" against ethic Turks in the 1980s that will form most of Mestan's electoral base. Others have accused the political project of possibly having "Islamist roots" but Mestan has denied both allegations.

The author also gives an account of the expulsion of diplomats both ways in the last few days. ReportsemergedSofia had expelled a Turkish diplomat working as an attaché to the Consulate General in Burgas while earlier this week the First Secretary of theBulgaria's Consulate General in Istanbul wasdeclared"persona non grata".

Separately BGNES wire service quotes another excerpt from the article reading: "It was onlyBulgariawe [Turkey] had no problems with now we are in crisis with Sofia."

It also citesanother news source fromTurkey Gazeteport according to which the Bulgarian Consul General to Istanbul Angel Angelov has also been expelled.

The Foreign Ministry inBulgariahas said it will "not comment on these issues either now or in the future".