Caretaker Minister of Interior Boyko Rashkov was adamant during his hearing in the National Assembly that the migratory pressure on Bulgaria has increased. He guarantees that despite being in the ministry for 70 days, they are making efforts in this regard. He added:
“The Ministry of Interior is the expert body for exercising control over the border. There is such pressure even in Lithuania. There the pressure is 30 times more than in the previous period. There is also pressure on our southern neighbor Greece. I have had several meetings with the Greek ambassador because we have a common problem. Migrants enter not only our country, but also Greek territory. The route through Southeast Europe continues to be busy and to be used for illegal crossings with the main purpose of reaching the countries of Western Europe. The main factor we see as increased pressure is the conflicts in the Middle East and Asia. Pressure is expected to increase further due to the withdrawal of NATO contingents from the region. The government’s inability to ensure the security of Afghan citizens determines the processes. Hundreds of families are motivated to move in order to enter Iran in the direction of Turkey. This is a prerequisite for increasing the risks for our country. In Turkey, there has been a sharp rise in the number of people arriving from Iran. The concentration of a significant number of migrants in Turkey and Northern Greece leads to concentration for Bulgaria as well. The increase in migratory pressures is due both to the appropriate climatic conditions, which is an annual trend, and to the introductory reliefs for entry or transit measures. A significant factor is the easing of measures in Turkey. This also leads to a freer movement of migrants in Turkey itself, which leads to increased pressure on Greece and Bulgaria. In July, the number of persons and means of transport crossed at the checkpoints in our country doubled. It is about the so-called guest workers. I held meetings with the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in our country, with whom we discussed, if necessary, their employees to assist in our territory. This will facilitate the communication of our employees with Turkish citizens.„
Rashkov presented data according to which attempts of 2,500 citizens to cross the border were registered. Of these, the services detained 113 people. In June, 4,054 people tried to cross the border. 61 foreign citizens were detained, a decrease from the previous month. In July, there was a 5% decrease in the number of people who tried to cross. Since the beginning of the year, attempts have been registered by more than 17,621 citizens to enter, with 16,900 returning to the interior of neighboring countries after establishing the presence of Bulgarian patrols and posts and 590 people being detained by border authorities who entered illegally. on the territory of our country.
„The Ministry of Interior continues the measures taken to counter illegal migration. A joint operation on the Bulgarian-Turkish and Bulgarian-Greek borders is continuing.“, the Interior Minister was adamant.
He also said that in the refugee centers in Bulgaria all new arrivals are quarantined. 35% of places were filled in May and up to 69% of capacity in May. During the first three weeks of July, the capacity is 70 to 85% occupied.
„Due to the 14-day quarantine, the process of handing over to the Refugee Agency has been delayed. But the Ministry of Interior will not risk the lives and health of employees and people by reducing the quarantine period.“, Rashkov added.
To date, there are 1,116 applicants asking for protection. In 2015 and 2016, there were 27,000 people accommodated in these homes.
„That is, they must have entered the country and now, if we are correct, I must also ask how they secured the criminal contingent, but I will not do it because it is not accepted. Let’s not try to transfer all the failures of the last 12 years to a 2-month office. Whether there are 1000 or 5000 employees, the problem exists and the question is justified whether the criminal contingent is covered. As the Ministry of Interior secures every criminal activity, so does the smuggling. We have uncovered many similar cases of transportation.„, Rashkov told former Interior Minister Mladen Marinov, who asked him a question on behalf of the GERB-UDF group.
