Bulgaria's internal affairs and defence ministers did a security check at the country’s border with Turkey on Friday (September 2), amid increasing numbers of migrants from Afghanistan trying to cross into the Balkan country, Reuters reports.
Speaking to journalists after walking along a barbed wire fence, Bulgarian Internal Affairs Minister, Ivan Demerdzhiev said he expected more intervention from the Turkish side to reduce the influx of migrants.
"Turkey is currently under unprecedented pressure. The situation in Afghanistan, which you know is escalating, causes great problems for the Turkish side to guard its own borders," Demerdzhiev said, adding that increased measures on the border helped reduce the number of migrants pushed back to Turkey by half.
"The influx was more than 1,000 people pushed back per day, in the past 24 hours there have been just over 500," Demerdzhiev told reporters.
Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said border guards would be reinforced by military police officers who will be allowed to arrest illegal migrants.
Bulgarian News Agency reported more than 350 servicepersons were posted from all parts of the country to help with the protection of the Bulgarian-Turkish border.
