site.btaGreek Farmers Block Border Crossing to Bulgaria

Greek Farmers Block Border Crossing to Bulgaria

Sofia, January 28 (BTA) - Protesting Greek farmers used their tractors to block the Promachonas/Koulata crossing on the border with Bulgaria on Saturday, Bulgarian National Radio reported.

Despite the strong presence of Greek police and gendarmerie along major roads and around points of concentration of farming machines, the tractors went on a much-too-familiar protest parade towards the border. They detoured through the mountains and managed to get to 200 metres from the frontier pass.

At 4.30 p.m. the Bulgarian border police at Koulata were notified by their Greek colleagues that it is not advisable for vehicles to drive towards Promachonas because there are farming machines gathered near the Greek checkpoint and farmers were trying to block the road. Traffic across the border was suspended for an hour.

Later on, Bulgarian drivers coming in from Greece reported clashes between farmers and gendarmerie officers who tried to push the tractors away from the international road. According to unofficial sources, the tractors were not many.