The presence of a Turkish minority in Bulgaria dates from the formation of the Bulgarian nation-state itself in 1878, following the dissolution of the Ottoman empire. Currently about 10% of the population of Bulgaria is ethnically Turk. In 1985, before the persecution that included the requirement to adopt a Slavic name, there were more than a million Turkish Bulgarians. In 1989 roughly 300, 000 of them left the country. Some of these people returned in the 1990s, others emigrated westwards, mostly to Germany.Because of their number, ethnic background and religion, as well as their location, Bulgarian Turks have always had a unique role in the politics of both Bulgaria and Turkey.
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