Zhivko Kotsev

The Bulgarian Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that Chief Commissioner Zhivko Kotsev, who serves as the Secretary General of the ministry, has submitted his resignation.

The 52-year-old Kotsev was appointed to this post on September 8 last year at the proposal of the Council of Ministers. He was the director of the regional directorate of the Ministry of the Interior-Sofia.

The process of relocating migrants from the refugee center in Sofia's Ovcha Kupel district has commenced, with the initial group of 30 individuals already transferred. Mariana Tosheva, the head of the State Agency for Refugees, confirmed this development during a session of the municipal council.

During an extraordinary meeting of the Sofia Municipal Council focused on security concerns in the Bulgarian capital, Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Zhivko Kotsev, emphasized that recent incidents involving foreigners in Sofia were not ethnically driven.

Migrant pressure on the Bulgarian-Turkish border remains at negligible levels, according to Interior Ministry Secretary General Zhivko Kotsev. During a briefing in Veliko Tarnovo, Kotsev highlighted the collaborative efforts between Bulgarian and Turkish authorities, leading to a mere 28 cases of illegal crossings by third-country citizens.

Bulgarian law enforcement has successfully apprehended a 32-year-old Bulgarian citizen suspected of orchestrating bomb threats targeting schools across the country. The arrest was confirmed by Zhivko Kotsev, Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, during an inspection visit to the Regional Directorate in Vratsa.

Bulgaria's Ministry of the Interior has signaled its readiness to dispatch officers from various departments—such as the Border Police, Security Police, and if required, the Criminal Police—to assist in maintaining security during the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris this summer.

Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov, in collaboration with Chief Secretary Zhivko Kotsev, conducted an urgent meeting with top police officials across the country on Friday, declared the Interior Ministry. This discussion transpired in response to the recent death of a man in Stara Zagora during a police detention, sparking concerns about the officers' actions.

In the period from January to November 2023, Bulgaria saw a significant surge in migrant detentions, with a total of 18,008 third-country citizens apprehended by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This marked a stark 15.4% increase from the previous year's numbers, signifying a growing challenge for the nation.

A double murder and subsequent suicide shook the residents of the Plovdiv village of Manole last night.

Stanimir Stanev has been released from the post of Deputy Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Stanev was in hospital for a long time. The previous deputy the chief secretary was released on the initiative of the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs because he is of retirement age.