site.btaRoumyana Buchvarova in Brussels: Counterterrorism Measures Should Be Developed Further

Roumyana Buchvarova in Brussels:Counterterrorism Measures Should Be Developed Further

Brussels, March 24 (BTA correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) - Bulgarian Interior Minister Roumyana Buchvarova said on Thursday that the measures against terrorism considered so far need to be developed further. Buchvarova was in Brussels for an extraordinary meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council following the May 22 terrorist attacks in the Belgian capital.

According to her, the measures listed in the declaration which the Council is expected to adopt later in the day are correct but "we should build upon them." The planned actions are conventional, whereas the current situation requires a different kind of thinking and greater efficiency; the bombings in Paris and Brussels showed that what was being done was not efficient enough, she argued.

Asked whether the people should be prepared to have their freedoms limited for the sake of security, Buchvarova said: "I would not like to see that happen. In my opinion, the political measures should be more pro-active, there should be more operative work, more clarity about the whole procedure of identifying, exposing and punishing terrorists."

"I think it is important at this point to support Belgium and send a message to the terrorists that we are willing and not afraid to find the good solutions against them," the minister said. "It is a fact that where there are different communities, there is a problem, and it is necessary to find a model which will keep differences from causing such problems. This is complicated, a very big issue - politically, demographically, socially and sociologically."