Търговски отношения между България и Турция 1944–1956 г.
Trade relations between Bulgaria and Turkey 1944-1956

Summary/Abstract: Normal economic and political relations existed between Bulgaria and Turkey. After World War II, despite the presence of a trade contract signed in 1942, and a payment agreement, the trade in goods between the two counties continued to be not so developed, and it was much smaller compared to the pre-war trade in goods. The specific geographic proximity and the established political reality, as well as the convenient communication means, created very favorable prerequisites for the livening up of trade relations between Bulgaria and Turkey.A direct impact on the possibilities of Bulgaria for participation in international trade by sea and with its neighbors was exerted by the conditions in which the country was placed with the signing on 28 October 1944 of the Agreement for truce between Bulgaria and the countries from the Anti-Hitler Coalition (The USSR, Great Britain and the USA). The war and its consequences upset to the very root the transport opportunities of Bulgaria not only by land but also by water. At the time of exiting the war time situation, Bulgarian foreign trade, as well as our entire economy, was striving towards normalization. In the first post-war years, the government of the Fatherland Front exerted comprehensive efforts for the establishing of economic prerequisites for the overcoming of our country’s external political isolation.After the end of World War II, the trade in goods between Bulgaria and Turkey was limited to the fulfillment of several private trade compensation bargains. The trade relations between the two countries in the period 1945-1947 developed on the basis of the agreement of 1942, and with the tacit consent of both countries they remained in force until the end of the 40s of the 20th century.The start of the “cold war” on the Balkans, ensured with the aggravation of the Greek issue, and with the raising of the Truman doctrine, was related not only to the worsening of relations between the Balkan people’s democratic countries Bulgaria, the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia, Romania and Albania with the capitalist neighbors Greece and Turkey. Now the USA openly came to the forefront, transforming Turkey and Greece into a strategic ground for the fight against the USSR and the countries with people’s democracy. That led to the worsening of bilateral relations after the second half of 1947, or their freezing until the mid 50s of the 20th century, which had an impact also on the trade relations between them.With the death of Soviet leader Stalin, from the middle of 1953 processes started of lessening of international tension and opposition of blocs, which led also to a change in bilateral Bulgarian-Turkish relations. In 1953 the Turkish government expressed a readiness to sign a new trade contract with Bulgaria. As a result of the Bulgarian-Turkish trade negotiations which took place in January 1955, on 23 February 1955 a new trade and payment agreement was signed, and lists were approved of the goods for import and export between the two countries. The new trade agreement entered into force on 10 March 1955. In nature it was a bilateral, one-year and clearing one, with a current technical credit to the extent of 250,000 US dollars, whose term could be extended. A trade in goods was envisaged separately for import and export to the extent of 2,500,000 dollars. With the trade agreement of 23 February 1955 with Turkey, the end was put to the compensation manner of trade, and the beginning was laid of clearing accounts.

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