Social Solidarity Initiative – in a spirit of cooperation and mutual aid in the Balkans, a large-scale campaign under the motto „Solidarity Against Disasters in Balkan Countries“ has been launched. The initiative is implemented by the Member of the Management Board of the Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Representative of the World Turkish Business Council (DTIK) for Bulgaria – Cemal Kara, founder of the Platform for Development of Balkan Relations – Yılmaz Gözcü, and Chairman of the Search and Rescue Training Association ARKED – Oğün Kaptanoğlu.
The Balkan Social Solidarity and Disaster Relief Initiative has received broad support from various institutions and non-governmental organizations. Among those supporting it are:
- Chairwoman of the Bulgarian-Turkish Women's Business Club – Tuerkan Tuerker,
- Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Sofia.
As part of the campaign's promotion, the Turkish Ambassador to Sofia, Mr. Mehmet Sait Uyanık, was visited. The Ambassador expressed his satisfaction with the work done and stated that he will closely monitor developments to support future events and activities.
Discussions were also held with Bulgarian rescue teams that sent aid to Turkey after the earthquakes in 1999 and 2023. The delegation met with Atanas Ukov, head of the dog rescue group of the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC). An agreement was reached to establish a joint information and coordination center and to organize joint exercises.
A large forum was organized in Varna by the Bulgarian-Turkish Women's Business Club.
The event was also attended by Zvezdelina Kara, owner of the Medical Karajji Health Information Center. During the forum, the importance of expanding the network of search and rescue dogs (K9) in the Balkans and increasing disaster response capacity was emphasized. An emphasis was also placed on promoting early diagnosis and annual preventive check-ups.
Within the framework of the social solidarity and disaster response campaign in the Balkans, the delegation visited one of Europe's leading industrial plants – the Alcomet aluminum smelter in Shumen. The owner of the plant, Fikret Ince, expressed his readiness to support the project with K9 rescue dogs and the campaign. The delegation also visited the Sarkuysan A.Ş. factory, where informational meetings were held on disaster preparedness and coordination.
The campaign will continue with visits by Turkish businessmen to other Balkan cities under the leadership of Cemal Kara.
