Bulgarian Turks

According to the General Directorate Border Police from the beginning of the year until January 31, nearly 1980 citizens from third countries attempted to cross the Bulgarian-Turkish border illegally. This number is 69% lower compared to January last year when it was around 6380, as reported by the Ministry of Interior.

In the period from January to November 2023, Bulgaria saw a significant surge in migrant detentions, with a total of 18,008 third-country citizens apprehended by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This marked a stark 15.4% increase from the previous year's numbers, signifying a growing challenge for the nation.

Bulgaria's border police have been working tirelessly to prevent illegal entry into the country, successfully thwarting more than 170,000 attempts by citizens of third countries since the start of this year. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the Bulgarian-Turkish border has been the epicenter of this migratory pressure, accounting for over 99% of the total incidents.

More than 100 thousand attempts to illegally cross the Bulgarian-Turkish border have been prevented by the border authorities since the beginning of the year alone. This was announced by the Bulgarian Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov during a parliamentary hearing:

"The Bulgarian services had operational information about the ambulance captured with 23 migrants in the Plovdiv village of Trud, there is still no information on what charges will be brought against the migrant traffickers". This was stated in Belitsa by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ivan Demerdzhiev, who participated in a festive service in the renovated church "St. George".

The Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Agency (BSMEPA) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization in Turkey (KOSGEB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

The EU member states themselves can finance the fence along the Bulgarian-Turkish border, claim sources from the European Commission.

A Bulgarian soldier repairs a protective fence at the Bulgarian-Turkish border near the village of Matochina, November 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV

Five people were arrested on human trafficking charges following the incident.

How to Help People in Ukraine if You are in Bulgaria

The Municipality of Plovdiv will provide accommodation for Bulgarians coming from Ukraine.

A man votes in a polling station during the general election in Sofia, Bulgaria, 14 November 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV

Bulgarian Ambassador Angel Tcholakov was informed that Turkey rejects all allegations that Bulgarian voters of Turkish ethnicity were essentially directed by the Turkish authorities to vote for an ethnic Turkish party in Bulgaria on November 14.