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In the wake of the closure of the Greek-Turkish border at the end of 2012, and “the increased international presence in Greek territorial waters,” the Bulgarian interior ministry is expecting a second wave of refugees from Syria to arrive by sea,” reports Standart.
The daily adds that “the ministry fears these attempts to land in the country, because there is no available infrastructure.”
“The flow of refugees continues, with yesterday’s arrest of some 80 people — including 53 Syrians — who illegally crossed the Bulgarian-Turkish border.” At the same time, the number of refugees already in Bulgaria is poised to exceed the capacity of reception facilities, which is limited to 5,000 people. “Thereafter,” adds Standart, “the government will be asking other European countries to take charge of some of the refugees.”
The ministry of finance has released an additional 500,000 leva (€250,000) in a bid to prevent an impending humanitarian crisis, and it is hoping for further aid from the European Commission in early October.
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