The political relations between Turkey and Bulgaria (1919-1950)

Bulgaria is of special importance for Turkish Republic as well as Ottoman Empire as a country situated in Balkan Peninsula where Ottoman Empire was founded in the historical process. The leading cause that Turkey attributes such an importance to Bulgaria is that it has borders at the entry point which is opened from Anatolia to Western Civilisation. Furthermore, it is particularly important that Bulgaria has substantially got Turkish minority in its population. Bulgaria, located partly in Europe and functioning as a bridge between Turkey and Europe, has gained a strategic place on the top as an order of importance among other neighbours for Turkey. In this study, regarding the significance of Bulgaria for Turkey, it is dealt with the political relations between Turkey and Bulgaria from Turkey's establishment process (The War of Independence) to the 1950s as it is called "One Party Rule" period. States do not function apart from the global world system when they determine their policy drawing on foreign politics. The determinant in the political relations to be established between the states has been an amiability and a friendship between two countries. In this sense, Turkish Republic and Bulgaria have made an effort in order to create an relation based on friendship between in order to be included in this system. The moral and material support that Bulgaria gave to The Lberty War & Turkish Independence War in the period has been the first step propounded with the betterment in Turkish-Bulgarian Relations. Especially, The joint initiatives taken by these countries' people against Greek occupation forces in the region of Thrace has got a great importance in gaining Turkish Liberty War. Thus, Bulgaria became one of the first states that the amiability was provided at the end of unities such as The Treaty of Turkish-Bulgarian Amiability which was signed in the leadership period of Mustafa Kemal after the independence of Turkey was obtained, and Balkan Pact which was done for the regional peace. Turkey and Bulgaria were included in the blocking system that occurred in the international policy in the following years and all of the countries in the world were included at the end of a few developments such as World War II. The amiability relations which were founded based on he reason that Turkey took place in The Western Block and Bulgaria took place in The Eastern X Block depotentiated. However, these countries signed the contracts such as Turkish- Bulgarian Nonaggression Pact in order not to be included actually in a war which will be done against one another. In our study, which has become the main point of archive documents qualified as the historical sources first hand, at the end of the investigations which were conducted in consideration with the procedures to write the history, it was determined that Bulgaria gained its place near the top of the states from whom Turkey got a moral and material aid in the independence struggle durung the occupation that Turkey experienced by The Allied Powers at the end of World War I. Thus, it was observed that there was a declination in the relations between Turkey - Bulgaria as the amiability relations between two countries developed regularly in the following years but they took place in the different sides at the period of polarization that World War II brought it.