site.btaLogistics Activities Launched for Turkish Border's Protection by Bulgarian Army

NW 14:10:31 27-04-2015
SN1410NW.118
118 POLITICS - DEPUTY DEFENCE MINISTER - BORDER PROTECTION

Logistics Activities Launched for
Turkish Border's Protection by
Bulgarian Army


Yambol, Southeastern Bulgaria, April 27 (BTA) - Deputy Defence
Minister Dimiter Kouyoumdjiev Monday launched the logistics
activities with which the Bulgarian Army will assist the Border
Police Directorate General in the protection of the border with
Turkey in Elhovo.

Kouyoumdjiev told journalists that the logistics support will be
carried out by 83 service members with 34 vehicles with various
purpose, distributed among the five police offices along
Bulgaria's south border.

The service members will transport the detained illegal
emigrants, the Interior Ministry personnel guarding the border,
as well as the bodies controlling their work. They will also
maintain the equipment with which they are taking part in the
operation and repair and maintain the fence already constructed
along a section of the border, the Deputy Defence Minister
explained. The Bulgarian Army will increase its participation in
case the migration pressure escalates, he added.

The first six months of the operation will cost the Defence
Ministry 2,128,360 leva. Around 180,000 leva have already been
spent on its preparation, Kouyoumdjiev said.

Deputy Interior Minister Filip Gounev said that around 5,000
illegal emigrants have been detained since the start of 2015.
Part of them were trying to enter Bulgaria and others to leave
it, and some were detained in the country's interior. Another
16,000 illegal emigrants were not allowed to cross the border
this year, compared to 32,000 people in the whole of 2014.
Gounev noted that in 2015 the migration pressure is higher along
the entire external border of the EU.

LI/DS


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