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Bulgaria to join international dialogue aimed at changing refugee policy

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The refugee crisis in Europe brought serious political, social and financial problems to the countries. Even a powerful state such as Germany is unable to receive 800,000 refugees in 2015. Berlin and Paris agreed that the European countries should negotiate to distribute the refugees fairly and equalize the rules regarding the refugee status of the immigrants. This week the Bulgarian politicians have been also discussing actively amendments to the immigration policy. Bulgaria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Daniel Mitov and Bulgaria’s Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev took active stand on this issue during informal international forums held during the week. Minister Mitov pointed out during the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia that the countries from the Western Balkans must join the common European measures aimed at dealing with the refugee crisis, due to the changing routes of the migratory flow. In a conversation with Slovenia’s President Minister Daniel Mitov said that the Dublin agreement, which regulates the agreements for readmission of refugees, had to be revised. The migration topic was also in the focus of Minister Mitov’s conversation with US Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Hoyt Brian Yee. Daniel Mitov told Hoyt Yee that the countries must fight against the reasons that caused the large-scale migration flows, rather than against the results of this crisis only. Bulgaria’s Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev announced Sofia’s stand regarding the future refugee policy at an informal meeting of the EU Defense Ministers in Luxembourg. Earlier, Bulgaria’s Foreign and defense Ministers voiced their stand during national forums, too. Apparently, the announcement of Bulgaria’s position at international forums is part of the country’s plan to initiate a discussion within the EU aimed at revising the refugee strategy. The new strategy should also include work over its main elements such as the readmission, the deportation of immigrants and fight against human trafficking. Minister Mitov is to voice this stand during the informal meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers (Gymnich) on September 4 and 5 in Luxembourg. The cabinet’s activity regarding the refugee crisis coincided with large-scale operations against illegal immigration in Bulgaria. In two days only the State Agency for National Security and the Ministry of Interior detained in Sofia over 160 immigrants without IDs. Later the authorities seized 208 immigrants in Tsarevo Municipality and 40 immigrants in the village of Golyamo Buchino near Sofia. The Police operation still continues. So far, the situated in under control in Bulgaria unlike in other European states where refugees storm trains on their way to Western Europe.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov


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