site.btaBorder Police Chief Zlatanov Report Steady Decrease in Migrant Pressure

There is a steady trend towards a reduction and control of the migrant pressure, head of the Border Police, Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov, told bTV Monday. 

Asked whether new routes and schemes for trafficking illegal migrants across the border are being revealed in view of the global changes, such as war and realignment in geopolitics, Chief Commissioner Zlatanov said that the good thing he could say is that there is a total change on the Bulgarian border as well. "When I took office, the situation was indeed at an all-time high in illegal migration. We had days with over 1,000, 1,500 [of illegal border crossing] attempts. There are now 10, 15 a day, which is close to the historic low since there has been a migrant wave at all," he added.

"I can safely say that at the moment there is a steady trend towards a reduction and containment of the migrant pressure on our side and this has been quite clearly seen by our partners in Europe," Commissioner Zlatanov said. Asked whether they have contained migrant pressure or of it has decreased, he said that according to the European Union and Frontex data, there is no decrease in the migrant pressure on Europe, but there is a decrease in their path through Bulgaria, which speaks good for this country, he explained, adding that Greece is complaining of an increase in migrant pressure. 

The Director of the Border Police said that Bulgaria is guarding its maritime border very well. Asked how many ships are patrolling the Black Sea and keeping an eye out for people trying to illegally enter Bulgaria's territory, he replied that there are currently 11 on staff, of which seven are in constant motion. "With one of them on a rotational basis, we constantly provide assistance in the Aegean Sea to our Greek colleagues," explained Zlatanov. 

In order for a country and the economy to move forward, investment must be made in security, Zlatanov said, specifying that investment must be made in both equipment and human resources.