Bulgaria could accept with priority migrants who graduated in the country, former Foreign Minister Solomon Passy said on Wednesday.

"In the Arab world alone there are 5000 people [who graduated in Bulgaria]. Educated people - engineers, architects," has explained in an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio. In his words, such people would find it easier to adapt in Bulgaria. Passy has also noted such a move could address the demographic problems of Bulgaria (a country with a rapidly shrinking population) and could help address the demand of skilled labor force which a number of sectors have been experiencing for years.

Quotas make sense, but only address the symptoms, he opined, commenting on EU interior ministers' latest decision to adopt a mandatory relocation plan for tens of thousands of migrants from Greece and Italy. Bulgaria will accept 852 people under the scheme.

He added there are no right moves retroactively, arguing European leaders have sought over the years to pass the issue on to their successors.

Passy, also President and Founder of the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria, warned that, with African population expected to double over the next decades, Europe should take into consideration a potential increase in the influx of migrants. He stressed the need to consider what refugee camps will be set up in North Africa, how to integrate the newcomers to the EU into society, and what instruments could be used to protect national security if necessary.

He also commented on widespread suggestions about the negative impact of migration. "The population of Bulgaria was created through migration as well - Khan Asparuh was the leader of a big group of migrants who chose this place to live here."