site.btaSwiss Vice President Maurer Congratulates Bulgaria on Efforts, Achievements in Maintaining Security in Europe

Sofia, April 26 (BTA) - Swiss Vice President Ueli Maurer congratulated Bulgaria on its exceptional efforts and achievements in maintaining security in Europe, which also benefit Switzerland and central European countries. He was speaking during the opening of a modern training facility at the Interior Ministry's Academy here on Thursday, attended by Interior Minister Valentin Radev. The project is implemented under the Bulgarian-Swiss cooperation programme and is valued at around 1 million euro.

Maurer commented Switzerland's interests in the area of security in the region, which he described as being connected to the fight against organized crime and the migrant wave. Bulgaria is a pivotal factor in Europe's security, he went on to say.

Minister Radev noted the long-lasting cooperation with Switzerland on joint projects. He explained that the first part of the project, under which the training facility was built, is theoretical and pertains to a manual on how to exercise police powers and observe human rights.

The newly built facility will be used to train police cadets from the Academy and improve the qualifications of current officers with an emphasis on human rights. It has two buildings - one serves a tactical purpose, where trainings are held, while the other is a police department.