Rumyana Bachvarova

GERB perceives the results of the first round of presidential elections as a protest vote, stated Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova.

Bulgarian main ruling party's candidate Tsetska Tsacheva is set to lose to any of the two predicted frontrunners, a new survey has suggested.

Twice as many migrants left accommodation centers in Bulgaria last week compared to the previous two weeks, authorities say.

An upward trend in the number of migrants abandoning the centers was also registered earlier in October.

Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova has issued an order activating level 2 in terms of danger on the Bulgarian-Turkish border under the National Plan for Action in Emergency Situations.

The order was signed several days ago.

Level 2 means "the preparation of conditions if level 3 - the mass influx of refugees - occurs".

About 16,000 foreigners have entered Bulgaria illegally since the beginning of the year, showed data of the State Agency for Refugees, reported BGNES.

7,000 come from Afghanistan and less than 2,000 are from Syria.

Most migrants are from Iraq and Pakistan.

The data shows that 57% of the persons seeking protection are men, 32% are children and the rest are women.

Bulgarian Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova has said migratory pressure on the country's borders is on the ebb, amid fresh official data on the number of protection seekers.

Her words come as the annual peak of migrants in August and September is followed by a drop as autumn arrives.

As of May 1, 2017, visas for Canada will not be required for Bulgarians who have visas for the USA, Bulgarians who have already visited the country and for businesses.

This obligation was undertaken by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau in a telephone conversation with Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov on Thursday evening.

As of Thursday Bulgaria starts to play an increasingly important role in protecting its own borders and thouse of Europe, EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos has said.

Avramopoulos has attended the launch the European Border and Coast Guard at the Bulgarian border with Turkey, at the crossing point of Kapitan Andreevo.

A new unit financed with a part of the EUR 160 M provided by the EU to Bulgaria will outline measures for increasing the security of the country, stated Vice Premier and Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova.

A 20-year-old French national was detained at the border between Bulgaria and Turkey over suspected terror links, Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova has said.

Her words have become the first official comment on French media reports about the detention.

Le Figaro, however, had earlier announced the detention had taken place on the Bulgaria-Serbia border.