NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen praised Bulgaria’s contributions to the Alliance and its commitment to transatlantic security. Rasmussen held talks on Thursday with Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski.

Representatives from European Union countries failed to reach an agreement on Thursday that would clear the way for the opening of talks on one of the 35 negotiating chapters for Turkey’s eventual accession into the EU.

Turkey and Mali signed two agreements while Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu met with his Malian counterpart Tieman Hubert Coulibaly in the capital city of Ankara on Wednesday.