site.btaBritish Ambassador Thanks Bulgarian Special Services for Cooperation

Sofia, May 2 (BTA) - British Ambassador to Bulgaria Emma Hopkins on Wednesday thanked the Bulgarian special services for their cooperation in the fight against smuggling and the prevention of trafficking in people.

The diplomat attended a meeting between the special services and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov at the Council of Ministers offices in Sofia. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Ambassador Hopkins and Interior Minister Valentin Radev noted the good interaction between the two countries' special services which has been a fact for many years and will continue after Britain leaves the European Union.

The Ambassador's meeting with the Bulgarian authorities was occasioned by the disruption of an illegal cigarette factory in Ireland which has inflicted detriment of 200 million British pounds, Prime Minister Borissov said at the start of the weekly session of the Council of Ministers.

Interior Minister Radev told the press that his department will have a meeting with all EU ambassadors to Bulgaria. "We will update them on our work in protecting the border with Turkey, the fight against illegal trafficking in people and goods, and the preparations for the summer season at the seaside," Radev said, noting that such meetings are held every year.