Bulgaria Doesn't Expect 'Huge' Migrant Influx from Syria

Business | October 8, 2012, Monday| 1063 views

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Bulgaria: Bulgaria Doesn't Expect 'Huge' Migrant Influx from Syria

Nikolay Mladenov (pictured) has noted that the EU should hold serious debates on the issue, since some 800 000 people are expected to leave Syria by the end of the year. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria does not expect to see a vast influx of refugees from Syria, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has assured.

"Together with the Ministry of Interior we are monitoring the number of Syrian refugees on our territory, having in mind the deepening conflict between Damascus and opponents of the regime," Mladenov told bTV on Monday.

Bulgaria does not face an "immense" wave of refugees, since refugees are being sheltered as near as possible to their home country's borders, he pointed out.

Mladenov noted that the EU should hold serious debates on the issue, since some 800 000 people are expected to leave Syria by the end of the year, according to UN estimates.

According to the Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Turkey does not seek a reason to enter the Syrian conflict, since the conflict has already entered its conflict through the refugees.

Last week Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov revealed that the migrant pressure on Bulgaria's Turkish border has increased by 50% over the last two months.

There are currently over 280 foreigners at Bulgaria's accommodation centers for emigrants in Lyubimets and Pastrogor, while their total capacity is 600.

When 70% of the capacity is reached (420 people), the country must launch a crisis plan for accommodating a refugee wave.