Kristian Vigenin: The government takes all the necessary measures to deal with the refugee situation
29 October 2013 News
We already fit in our capabilities for dealing with the refugee situation as the government is taking all the necessary measures. We have received assistance from the EC and Frontex, expert and technical assistance from our partners in the EU, as well as humanitarian aid by some other countries. We are expecting the funds, allocated by the EC, to be announced any time soon, said in an interview for Darik Radio Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristian Vigenin.
According to him, there is an ongoing discussion with the Ministry of Interior and with other departments on when the Central Joint Bulgarian-Turkish Border Commission may be called. This was also one of the key topics during the recent visit of the Minister in Ankara, as it became clear from the conversation. The Central Joint Bulgarian-Turkish border committee may be convened within the framework of the current Bulgaria-Turkey bilateral agreement for prevention of border incidents and maintenance of the border signs dating from 1967. The Committee may serve as a functional coordination and control mechanism for solving the escalating refugee problem which threatens not only Bulgaria and its neighboring countries, but also the region and the EU, the minister said. According to him, this is not the only basis on which we can talk with Turkey. At present, the Ministries of Interior of Bulgaria and Turkey have finalized an agreement for general surveillance of the border and there are ongoing activities on the joint patrols and the establishment of a tripartite center with the participation of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, to facilitate communication and effective monitoring of the border.
It is essential to establish a friendly cooperation for solving the issues. We must not look with suspicion on the situation of the refugees crossing the Turkish border, but we will not turn a blind eye if the agreements are not observed, said Kristian Vigenin. According to him, Turkey has no objections to the building of a protective structure on the Bulgarian side of the border and only technical recommendations. As regards the refugee flow, the minister said that dealing with the issue is a commitment of both countries and Turkey would not want to enter the summaries and the analysis of the EU as a country that cannot secure the borders.
Commenting on his recent meeting with the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Vigenin said: "The Bulgarian government is in constant contact with our Turkish partners from the very beginning of the refugee crisis. The purpose of my talks was to place some questions on a political level; the need for coordination is very strong." According to the minister, the long lasting solution to the issue is to achieve peace in Syria. In case this happens, we can work on the return of Syrian refugees back to the country. Even if that happens tomorrow, the refugee flow won’t decline sharply and in general this is a challenge that we will face also in the future, added Vigenin.
Regarding the issue with the release of Gulubin Boevski, minister Vigenin said that yesterday the Bulgarian Ambassador to Brazil, Chavdar Nikolov, underwent a hearing by the Ministry's leadership. "When I receive the report on the talks, I will meet with the Ambassador and afterwards we will inform on the decisions regarding this case," the minister said. "In this particular case, the lack of communication is the main problem. It is unacceptable for the MFA and the other government institutions to understand from the media about what has happened. The truth is that these actions put under question the activities of the Ministry as a whole. We remind the Bulgarian diplomats abroad that such cases are unacceptable; they to a great extent put to the test the institution,” the minister said.