`An agreement on cooperation between the Bulgarian and Macedonian Interior ministries will be updated and signed within a month and a half`, Interior Minister Georgi Petkanov said at a news conference on October 18. The agreement envisages cooperation between the two countries in the fight against organized crime, human trafficking and smuggling. It will also include more liberal terms of exchange of operational data on criminals. Petkanov and his counterpart Ljube Boskovski agreed that a confidential telephone line between the two interior ministries would be actuated within a month. It will be used in force majeure circumstances and emergencies. Minister Petkanov met Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski, Parliament Speaker Stojan Andov and President Boris Trajkovski. At the meeting, he expressed Bulgaria`s support for the Ohrid framework agreement, as well as the hope that the problems in Macedonia will find peaceful solution. Asked about the number of Macedonian nationals who have applied for Bulgarian citizenship, Petkanov said they numbered 941 between January 1 and October 15, compared to 113 in 2000. The increase was probably due to their country`s problems, the minister commented.

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