site.btaRepair Teams Inspect, Reinforce Border Barrier with Turkiye Daily to Prevent Compromised Sections

Repair teams ensure that there are no compromised sections on the border barrier with Turkiye as they inspect it daily and reinforce it where necessary, the Cabinet's press service said here on Monday.

This was confirmed during an inspection of the Bulgarian-Turkish border barrier conducted earlier on Monday by caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, who was joined by Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov, Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov, Border Police Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov, and Chief of Defence Emil Eftimov.

An aerial survey of the barrier by helicopter was conducted, followed by a ground inspection near Lesovo, where the advantages of the operational integrated video surveillance system were observed. Speaking of the border areas that currently lack a video surveillance system, Zlatanov said that a contract to build such is expected to be signed within 10 days.

Since the start of the year, Bulgarian Border Police have prevented over 44,000 illegal entry attempts, with more than 99% occurring at the Bulgarian-Turkish border. Measures by the Border Police Directorate General have reduced migration pressure by 71% compared to the same period in 2023. Authorities detained 2,062 individuals for illegal entry, mainly citizens of Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Additionally, 2,723 third-country nationals were detained attempting to exit the country illegally, a 35% increase from last year. Within Bulgaria, there has been a 67% decrease in detained migrants due to the implemented measures.

The maintenance of all integrated surveillance systems at the Border Police Directorate General costs more than BGN 11 million, coming out of European funds earmarked for this purpose. Two new systems will be built at the beginning of 2025, one funded by the EU and the other by the State Budget, to cover unequipped sections of the Bulgaria-Turkiye border. All necessary technical and mobile surveillance systems have been provided, and BGN 27 million has been spent on purchasing border control vehicles.

Zlatanov refuted claims of staffing shortages, saying there is no shortage of applicants. Eight recruitment competitions have been announced to fill 400 vacant posts in the Ministry of Interior, which have received a total of 2,477 applications. This will ensure the necessary personnel for the Border Police Directorate General.

The statement also says that a funding request of BGN 47.7 million has been made to maintain engineering barrier, adjacent road, and integrated surveillance systems. An additional BGN 60 million is needed for the upkeep of integrated systems, procurement of new handheld and mobile thermal imaging devices, plus the purchase of 15 next-generation mobile surveillance systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles.