Turkey reopens border with Bulgaria, reassures on refugees: PM

Turkey has reopened border crossings with neighboring Bulgaria after closing them in the early hours of Saturday following an attempted coup, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said.

There were no signs of an increase in refugee flows into Bulgaria, and Turkey’s government has given assurances that the border will not be overwhelmed, Borisov told reporters after meeting with the Turkish ambassador.

An additional 230 Bulgarian soldiers have been sent to the border to bolster patrols and help prevent a possible surge in refugee arrivals, he said. A fence to stop illegal crossings into the country from Turkey is already in place.

“We have been in communication with the Turkish government, with the prime minister, with the ambassador,” Borisov said. “I have full assurances from all that the border will not be put under pressure.”

Refugee camps in Turkey, which host more than three million people from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, are calm and Turkish authorities have also agreed to bolster border controls, Borisov said.

Flights from Sofia to the Turkish cities of Istanbul and Antalya were canceled on Saturday, according to the departure schedule on Sofia Airport’s website.

Source: Reuters