
SOFIA
Bulgaria will seek approval to extend a fence it has begun to build along the Turkey border to stop illegal immigration, Secretary General of the Interior Ministry Svetlozar Lazarov said.
If the demand is approved, the fence’s length will be extended from 30 kilometers (18 miles) to 50 kilometers (31 miles).
Emphasizing that extending the border fence, which has barbed wire on top, is crucial in an area where illegal immigration is common, Lazarov said adding an extension would not cost the Interior Ministry more than money spent on asylum seekers.
With currently 6,400 registered refugees in Bulgaria, European support was given to Bulgaria to help its authorities handle the influx of Syrian refugees, the European Commission reported.
Officials are expecting the three meters (10 ft.) high border fence located on the Bulgarian-Turkish border to be completed in February next year.
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