For second consecutive year on 21 September 2013 the European Cooperation Day was celebrated under the Bulgaria-Turkey IPA Cross-border Programme. Under the motto "Together to the top" a joint climbing was carried out of the highest peak in the cross-border area – Mahya tepe near the
The official opening of the event took place in the Municipal yard of the village of Yenice where a special informational table was set with promotional and informational materials about the EC Day and the Programme. The representatives of the Joint Technical Secretariat distributed t-shirts, leaflets and gifts with the logo of ECD 2013.
More than 75 participants from mountaineering and sport clubs from Haskovo,
The path to the top named “The Cooperation Route” was marked with the colours of the Turkish and Bulgarian National Flags.
Furthermore, the participants mounted on the route two informational signboards – one in the village of Yenice and one on the top of the peak, and numerous arrow signs indicating the way to the starting and final points.
The Turkish and Bulgarian participants together cleaned and prepared a suitable place for camping at 800 m altitude where the Bulgarians placed their tents.
The EC Day event contributed to establishing contacts between the representatives of sports and mountaineering clubs from Bulgaria and Turkey for future joint initiatives and projects.