As many illegal migrants move on from Italy, Bulgarian analysts have stoked fears about a refugee wave trying to reach the country because of turmoil in the Arab world.

"Bulgaria, being a border country in the European Union, risks to be flooded by a wave of illegal migrants from Northern Africa or other Arab countries," Kiryak Tsonev, a specialist on the Arab world and Chavdar Charvenkov, Bulgaria's former ambassador to Tunisia, warned on Thursday in an interview for Darik radio.

They called on the Bulgarian government and the European institutions to brace for a large influx of migrants due to turmoil in the Middle East, warning the continent's policies on immigration and the world's fledgling anti-smuggling efforts will be put to the test.

"Egyptians will be fleeing to Greece, Libyans will be fleeing to Italy and it is highly likely that Bulgaria may become a focal point for refugees. Europe will not accept those people and they will have to stay in Bulgaria. What are we going to do? The only way to stop the wave is try to solve the social issues in these countries," Kiryak Tsonev said.

Hundreds of Tunisians have been landing this week on the tiny Sicilian island of Lampedusa by the boatload, swelling the numbers of illegal migrants arriving on Italian shores in just the last few days to well over 5,000.

"We saw what happened in Italy, which was brought to its knees even though it faced this situation before, at the beginning of the 90s. Emergency measures should be implemented not on Italy's shores or Bulgaria's borders, but in Tunisia and Egypt. Brussels officials should assess the situation all the time and predict the risks. The wave, which has risen, can not be stopped," Chavdar Charvenkov commented.

Mass protests in Tunisia caused the country's long-time dictator to flee in January, and Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak was forced out last week after weeks of demonstrations.

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