Prime Minister Boiko Borisov scolded his minister over remarks on Turkey and indicated that a compensation issue for a refugee case dating back to 1913 was not linked to Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

On Tuesday, minister Bozhidar Dimitrov said failure to reach agreement on compensation for the property of more than 250,000 Bulgarian refugees from eastern Thrace in 1913 could affect Turkish ambitions to join the bloc.
 

His statement angered Ankara and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned Sofia to avoid remarks that may harm ties between the neighbouring countries.
 

Borisov, due to visit Turkey later this month or in early February, said Dimitrov's statement did not reflect the official position of the centre-right government, which took office in July.
 

"I have warned Mr Bozhidar Dimitrov that we will simply part ways if something similar happens again," Borisov told private BTV channel late on Wednesday.
 

"When you announce such things without the prime minister, the government or the parliament having discussed it, you do not do it in your capacity as historian or head of a museum. You directly engage the prime minister and create a problem."
 

Dimitrov, who oversees the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad and the state archives, is a historian and former head of the Bulgarian National Museum.
 

A government spokesman said Sofia was supporting reforms in Turkey and any bilateral issues, like the compensation one, have no direct link with the European Union's expansion.
 

Bulgaria joined the 27 member bloc in 2007.
 

Dimitrov had said Bulgaria planned to speed up the collection of documents so it could submit a claim estimated at $20 billion against Turkey by the end of the year.
 

More than 250,000 ethnic Bulgarians were expelled from eastern Thrace, lying on the western side of the Bosphorus, in 1913. Turkey recognised the rights of the refugees in a 1925 treaty, but the agreement was never implemented, Dimitrov said.

Source: Reuters