Bulgaria has said it is ready to build a wire fence along its border with Greece to tackle a potential increase in migrant inflow after the Western Balkans route was practically closed.

The present situation on the border doesn’t require the deployment of a fence but Bulgaria is ready to do it, Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev said during a visit to Kulata crossing on the border with Greece on Wednesday, according to a statement released by the Defence Ministry.

Nenchev visited the main crossing on the border with Greece to check the coordination for joint action of Bulgarian Army units and police force in case of increased migratory pressure.

"I saw for myself that the coordination is very good," Nenchev said.

The Bulgarian Army can deploy 650 to 700 servicemen to help police cope with a potential rise in the number of irregular migrants trying to cross into Bulgaria from Greece, Nenchev said. That number can be increased in case of need, he added.

There has been an increase in the number of migrants crossing into Bulgaria from Greece after Macedonia sealed off its border with Greece last month, according to Austrian newspaper Die Presse.

In January, the government approved additional funding of up to BGN 34.1 M (EUR 17 M) for the continued construction of sections of a wire fence along Bulgaria’s border with Turkey designed to curb uncontrolled migrant inflow.

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