site.btaBulgaria, UK Strengthen Cooperation in Fighting Illegal Migration

UK Minister of State for Immigration Robert Jenrick and Bulgarian Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov signed a joint statement on enhanced cooperation in countering and preventing organized crime in the field of immigration on Monday, the Interior Ministry reported. Minister Jenrick is on an official visit to Bulgaria.

The document, proposed by the UK, envisages the establishment of a joint working group tasked with determining ways to deepen the bilateral cooperation between the competent authorities and with assessing the implemented activities.

This document gives Bulgaria the opportunity to strengthen cooperation with Great Britain in the field of combating and countering illegal migration, said Minister Stoyanov at a briefing at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint, where he and the British Minister signed the document. 

This statement comes after two months of intensive work regarding the prevention of the passage of boats, engines and devices that do not meet European standards through this country, explained Stoyanov. He added that Bulgaria currently has the opportunity to detect and confiscate boats that transport migrants across the English Channel from France to Great Britain.

Stoyanov added that this is significant progress in the fight against illegal migration, and that the confiscation of vessels began a month and a half ago. When asked about the situation on the Bulgarian-Turkish border, Stoyanov replied that, unlike the beginning of the summer, when around 1,500 attempts to illegally enter the country were registered per day, after the reorganization and the increase in employees at the border by 30%, attempts are down to 300-400. At the moment, the situation is extremely calm, Stoyanov summarized.

Minister Jenrick expressed gratitude to Minister Stoyanov and the Bulgarian government and called them "essential important partners" in the fight against organized crime, immigration crime and human trafficking. The efforts that the two countries have made together have resulted in cutting down on the activities of organized crime groups that bring migrants in these absolutely dangerous boats across the English Channel, and as a result, people die, he stressed.

Jenrick also noted that he works in extremely close cooperation with the Bulgarian Ministry of the Interior and the Customs Agency, with the United Kingdom providing support in various ways such as donating customs dogs, technical means, with the aim of deepening cooperation.

The British Minister concluded that the good thing in both countries is that there is a firm determination to crack down and stop the activities of organized crime groups involved in channeling, so that they can stop using Europe as a channel to transfer people. He added that Bulgaria is a very strong ally in this struggle and is looking forward to the further development and deepening of the successful cooperation.

The visit of the two delegations, Bulgarian and British, to the border also included demonstrations of the work of the customs dogs at the checkpoint, the gas analysis sensors for hidden migrants and inspecting some of the confiscated boats.