Bulgarian Defense Minister denies border closure plans
Closing the border with Turkey would cost Bulgaria BGN 10-11 M.
The Minister of Defense Angel Naydenov clarified that this would be only a last-resort move, should the capacity to host refugees be absorbed. He reminded that there are currently 4 000 Syrian asylum seekers in the reception centers across the country, while the overall capacity is 5 000.
Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Interior (MOI) Svetlozar Lazarov suggested that Greece's example of closing its border with Turkey cannot be used as an analogy since the two countries share only a 12km land-border. In Bulgaria's case, the border is 274 km and it would require 3 000 personnel to conduct, costing BGN 10-11 M.
Lazarov also mentioned that MOI is discussing the option of accommodating Syrian refugees in the army barracks near Momchilgrad.
Adapted from novinite
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