site.btaVideo Surveillance along Border with Turkiye Must Increase amid Expectations for Increased Migration Flow – PM

Bulgaria sees a need to enhance video surveillance along the Bulgaria-Turkiye border amid expectations for an increased migration flow, caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev said at the beginning of Wednesday's Government meeting.

Glavchev reported: "Everything is fine regarding the fence on the Bulgarian-Turkish border, but in view of the developments in the Middle East and potential migrant pressure, more decisions should be taken in relation to increasing video surveillance." He said that the number of staff and vehicles patrolling the border should be increased proportionally to the migrant pressure.

The Prime Minister said that the Consultative Council on National Security raised the matter of 100 km of fence missing at the border between Bulgaria and Turkiye. As a result of that, he and the caretaker Ministers of Defence and of Interior, Atanas Zapryanov and Atanas Ilkov, inspected the border and established that the fence was there. The Prime Minister concluded that if any sections of the border get compromised, they do get restored within 24 hours and added: "We can be confident about the fence along the entire Bulgarian-Turkish border with one small exception at the Tundzha River: 50 metres, which is compensated with patrols."

Glavchev praised General Directorate Border Police and the Ministry of Defence for their good cooperation with Turkiye in coping with the migrant pressure, which has dropped by 71% since 2023. Calls were made at the Council to increase national security spending by 0.4%, however, the budget represents 100% meaning that spending more on one sector would lead to spending less on another, the Prime Minister pointed out.