Only 18 of Bulgaria’s 247 Bomb Shelters Ready for Immediate Use Amid Rising Tensions
Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, authorities have taken a closer look at Bulgaria’s bomb shelters, focusing on their availability and condition
An Afghan girl helps her sister to take a bath in front of their tent at the outdoor area of the abandoned former Athens international airport, were refugees and migrants have found temporary shelter, in Athens, Greece, August 23, 2016. Photo: EPA/BGNES
A stronger migratory pressure can now be felt on the EU's external borders, the head of the common border protection agency has said.
The march of "more migrants" en route to Bulgaria from Greece or Turkey has been singled out as an issue, but the numbers are small compared to those in the Western Balkan countries last summer, he has added.
"To date we have sent some 112 employees to Bulgaria, but we need at least 100 more," Fabrice Leggeri has told Die Welt [DE] in an interview.
His words come as Bulgaria's Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova has said the country has demands some 300 FRONTEX staff to be deployed, but sees the number 200 as more realistic.
"Overall, we are going through a dispersion of the inflow. The migrants and smugglers are finding new routes," according to Leggeri.
He has also warned that the numbers of irregular migrants will increase substantially if the EU-Turkey deal falls through.
But he has also insisted there is "no evidence" so far of any deliberate moves by Turkey to send migrants into Europe.
"Throughout July we have counted around 1800 migrants arriving in Greece. To compare, in Fabruary and even in March as many were coming on a daily basis," he has said, praising Turkey's good cooperation with both FRONTEX and Greek authorities.
In Sofia, President Iliana Yotova participated in official commemorations at the Memorial Plaques of the Rescuers of Bulgarian Jews next to the St. Sophia Cathedral and at the Monument of Salvation in the St. Kliment Ohridski Garden
Bulgaria is set for a mostly sunny day on Tuesday, March 10, though early hours will be marked by cold temperatures and pockets of fog in many areas, according to the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH)
More than 2,600 Bulgarian citizens have left countries in the Middle East and Iran since the start of the evacuation efforts, according to information from the Situation Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as of 09:30 today
Bulgaria is seeing a notable rise in prices, with the latest monthly inflation reported at 0.3% and annual inflation at 3.3%, according to preliminary data for February released by Atanas Atanasov
Last night, 120 Bulgarians who had been stranded in the Maldives finally returned home aboard a charter flight operated by the Bulgarian airline GullivAir.
The operation to evacuate Bulgarians stranded across the Middle East is ongoing, as authorities work to bring citizens to safety amid rising regional tensions.
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