"The Bulgarian services had operational information about the ambulance captured with 23 migrants in the Plovdiv village of Trud, there is still no information on what charges will be brought against the migrant traffickers". This was stated in Belitsa by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ivan Demerdzhiev, who participated in a festive service in the renovated church "St. George". "The pressure on the Bulgarian-Turkish border has increased by nearly 50 percent since the beginning of the year, but the majority of illegal crossing attempts have been thwarted", Minister Demerdzhiev added.

Cars with a special mode of operation, which are used to transport migrants, are being watched with particular attention. There are quite a few abandoned and even unregistered ambulances, the interior minister said:

"Regarding this ambulance, apart from the operational information, there were enough people inside to make an impression and unfortunately for the ambulance drivers, they ended up in the village right outside the police station, which made it very easy for us."

Minister Demerdzhiev commented on the increased migration pressure on the Bulgarian-Turkish border and restriction of trafficking on our territory:

"We are returning them, the average data is currently around 500 people per day. Since the beginning of the year, the pressure has increased by a little over 40%. The arrests are over 45% less. This means that more people are being let through at the border few people, although the attempts are increasing and they are increasing exponentially".

The Minister of the Interior expects that one third of the additional funds allocated by the EC for the protection of the external borders will go to Bulgaria:

"On Tuesday, we will have talks, exactly on this topic the financier of the Commission is coming, after which there will be complete clarity on this issue. The total resource that is allocated for all external borders is about 600 million euros, it has been said as a priority that it should support the Bulgarian-Turkish border. So we hope that at least 1/3 of this amount will go to our border. I am glad that within only 7-8 months the Commission has undergone a serious evolution in its views on these issues and I believe that it will let's go even further and finally we will get to the construction of a solid fence like there is in Greece with funds allocated by the Commission".

When asked by National Radio whether we will enter Schengen with a caretaker or a regular government, Ivan Demerdzhiev answered:

"We can enter Schengen with both a caretaker and a regular government, as long as the parliament does its job. What was wanted from us as an institution, from the Ministry of the Interior, has long been done."

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/Bulgarian National Radio

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