An official ceremony for the awarding of the first contract under the cross-border cooperation program Bulgaria-Turkey 2021-2027 took place in the „Flora“ exhibition center in the sea garden of Burgas. This is the strategic project of the program, which will significantly increase the effectiveness of police services in both countries in dealing with illegal migration. More than 200 employees will participate in the project, which will emphasize foreign language learning.
At a ceremony in Burgas, a contract was handed over for the implementation of the project “Increasing the capacity and improving the cooperation of the law enforcement authorities on the territory of the regions of Burgas, Haskovo and Yambol, Edirne and Kirklareli in the field of migration”, financed under the cross-border cooperation program INTERREG VI- And IPP Bulgaria-Turkey 2021-2027 with over 1.7 million euros.
The event was attended by:
– Deputy Ministers of Internal Affairs and Regional Development and Public Works – Kiril Tsenkin and Angelina Boneva
– the general consul of the Republic of Turkey in Burgas – Tolga Orkun
– the regional governor of Burgas – Plamen Yanev
– the head of the managing body of the Bulgaria-Turkey program – Milen Obretenov
– the directors of the regional directorates of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Burgas, Haskovo and Yambol – senior commissioners Emil Pavlov, Chavdar Georgiev and Ivan Rusev
– the deputy regional governors of Edirne and Kirklareli Eyup Batuhan Gierji and Yusuf Güler.
The ceremony will begin with greetings, followed by the official awarding of the contract. During the ceremony, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kiril Tsenkin said:
“I welcome you with the first cross-border cooperation agreement between Bulgaria and Turkey. The challenges of both countries are the same. This is why the Safer Borders Project is essential to an excellent partnership. I believe that the two regional administrations will cope with the challenges.”
“We are starting the program for the first largest Bulgaria-Turkey project worth more than 1 million and 700 thousand euros. The project is big not only because of its financial value, but also because of its strategic importance for Bulgaria, Turkey and the EU. In the midst of global uncertainty – in the midst of problems and in the midst of crises, we purposefully invest in upgrading the existing infrastructure on both sides for our common security. Already when developing the program together, we have chosen to fund the most key and most urgent activities. The services in Bulgaria and Turkey will have joint trainings, i.e. European support will be invested not only in material and technical preparation and equipment, but also in joint activities. We have the three most important components. There is no way to economically develop the two ancients if we do not have a security and stability base. I have two years in which to make the cross-border region safer to live in”, said the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Angelina Boneva.
The Consul General of the Republic of Turkey in Burgas Tolga Orkun gave a speech during the ceremony.
The Deputy Regional Governor of Kirklareli, Yusuf Güler, stated during the awarding of the contract:
“Fighting migration is very difficult. Persons violating public order are not tolerated here. At all border crossings, we have made upgrades, especially in Edirne and Kirklareli, where we have made large investments. Migration in recent years has exceeded its scale and must be taken on a grand scale. Police services have been set up at the border to ensure greater control.”
Yusuf Guler suggested that international organizations should stop this flow of migrants. According to him, this is exactly why these projects are very valuable and should develop over time. According to him, there are still no visible results, as decisions under this system are adopted very slowly.
The director of ODMVR-Burgas, Emil Pavlov, talks about illegal migration and what is needed to deal with it.
All participants – from the Bulgarian and Turkish sides – united around the fact that common actions are needed to reduce the migrant pressure.
