site.btaInterior Ministry SG Talks with US Embassy Law Enforcement Liaison Officers

Interior Ministry Secretary General Zhivko Kotsev met with liaison officers of the US law enforcement agencies represented at the US Embassy in Bulgaria, the ministry reported on Thursday. The list of agencies included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, and the Regional Security Office. Deputy Interior Minister Ivelina Dundakova was also at the meeting.

The sides discussed current aspects of Bulgaria-US cooperation in security and internal affairs. They set out steps to deepen interaction in areas of priority for the two countries such as information sharing, fighting terrorism and organized crime, countering trafficking in people, protecting intellectual property rights, and cybersecurity.

The partners from the US Embassy stressed their longtime fruitful cooperation with the Interior Ministry, which has made it possible to carry out a number of successful joint operations against organized crime. The US side reaffirmed its willingness to keep providing consistent support to the Bulgarian law enforcement authorities, partly through training and technical assistance.