The number of asylum seekers in Bulgaria has increased 10 times compared to January-September 2012
01 October 2013 News
The number of asylum seekers in Bulgaria has increased 10 times from January to September, compared to the same period in 2012, Ambassador Ivan Piperkov said in his statement at the 64th Session of the Executive Committee of the UN Refugee Agency High-Level Segment, held on 30 September - 1 October in Geneva
The commitment of Bulgaria to provide asylum seekers in the country with security, shelter, food and any other commodities, in accordance with its abilities, was reaffirmed. In case the number of refugees crossing the Bulgarian border continues to grow at the pace of recent months, the country will face the need to solve problems not encountered before, Ambassador Piperkov said. According to him, this includes the creation of new reception centers, equipment for temporary camps and all activities related to the care and maintenance of large groups of people in need . The developments of the situation are approaching that critical point where it becomes clear that Bulgaria would need assistance from relevant UN agencies and the European Union, Ivan Piperkov said."We work hard for expanding our partner network with international and national NGOs and for mobilizing all reserves in the country towards finding the best solutions for asylum seekers," said the Bulgarian permanent representative in Geneva.
In his statement, he expressed support for the efforts to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria. It was pointed out that the use of chemical weapons is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and the international community should take the necessary steps to prevent their further use.
The Chairman of the State Agency for Refugees, Nikola Kazakov, was among the members of the Bulgarian delegation, attending the meeting.