Bulgarian PM Warns of Rising Migration Pressure along Southern Border

Bulgaria is bracing for a possible surge in migration pressure on its southern borders, the country’s Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has said.

“Nothing good is awaiting us. […] The army, police and gendarmerie, they are all working, and we prepare for a severe problem with the refugee wave," Borisov told Nova TV broadcaster on Friday morning.

Each day Bulgarian police detain around 150 to 200 irregular migrants who have crossed the border into the country, Borisov said.

"There are no controls at all on the border with Greece, with the exception of a few points where we have strengthened security measures with the help of the army. That’s why we decided yesterday to deploy patrols to locations not guarded by a wire fence and thermal imaging cameras," Borisov added.

Borisov noted it was regrettable that the EU’s agreement on migration with Turkey signed in March was almost non-working. 

Borisov also said that he had been invited to a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on August 24.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has invited Borisov and Romanian President Klaus Johannis to a meeting in Berlin on August 26, the Bulgarian prime minister added.

Borisov also called for greater caution in reaction to events unfolding in Turkey in the wake of last week’s thwarted coup attempt.

The Bulgarian government should aim to keep the balance and maintain communication with Turkey “even though we don’t understand the arrests of journalists, judges, teachers” in that country, Borisov said.