site.btaInterior Minister: 40,210 Have Tried to Enter Bulgaria at Turkish Border since January

Attempts by 40,210 individuals to enter Bulgaria through the Bulgarian-Turkish border have been recorded from the beginning of the year until September 9, said caretaker Minister of the Interior Atanas Ilkov here on Tuesday. He was responding to a question from MP Kaloyan Metodiev regarding Bulgaria's accession to Schengen and the migrant pressure on the Bulgarian-Turkish border during an extraordinary sitting in Parliament.

Ilkov specified that the current migrant pressure on the Bulgarian-Turkish border is 72% lower compared to the same period in 2023, which saw 141,428 individuals attempting to cross.

Bulgarian border authorities have detained 1,666 third-country nationals attempting to enter the country illegally. After noticing Bulgarian patrols and posts along the border, 38,457 individuals voluntarily returned to the interior of Turkiye. Turkish border authorities have detained 87 individuals, Ilkov said.

In September 2024, the detained illegal migrants at the Bulgarian-Turkish border were mainly from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Morocco.

Regarding the state of the border fence with Turkiye, Ilkov said it is compromised daily by people attempting to enter the country illegally. Maintenance staff are assigned to restore these sections daily. "Currently, the engineering barrier is functioning well and is in good condition," he added.

Regarding the accession to Schengen, Ilkov reported improved bilateral cooperation with Turkiye, the adoption of a joint action plan with Romanian border authorities, an increase in the number and duration of joint patrols along the Bulgarian-Romanian border, and the implementation of such patrols along the Bulgarian-Serbian border. Joint patrols are also planned for the border with Greece.