Turkish premier meets Bulgarian counterpart and Qatari emir

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Friday held meetings with his Bulgarian counterpart and Qatari emir on the sidelines of a major security conference in the German city of Munich, according to a Turkish Prime Ministry source.

Turkey-EU relations, bilateral ties as well as current issues were discussed in the meeting between the Turkish and Bulgarian premiers, the source said.

Bulgaria is currently holding the presidency of the European Union Council and its support to Turkey on its EU path was on the agenda, says a source who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Both prime ministers were pleased with the pace in relations based on mutual interests.

Bilateral relations and regional developments also topped the agenda during the meeting between Yildirim and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, the source said.

It added that enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries was also discussed.

Also, Turkey reiterated its determination to work with Qatar to ease effects of economic sanctions against it.

The conflict in Syria, refugee crisis and the EU's role in the future are major topics at the 54th Munich Security Conference, which began on Friday.

Yildirim is among the key speakers of the three-day conference; he is expected to address senior global figures on Syria, Turkey’s ongoing counterterrorism operations and other developments in the region.