"Bulgaria is undoubtedly one of the safest destinations in many respects at the moment," President Iliana Iotova told reporters during a visit to the medieval archaeological site Perperikon on August 4.
Iliana Iotova, President of Bulgaria:
"There are absolutely no threats stemming from the conflicts either in Europe or in the Middle East. I continue to believe that, unlike some other countries and holiday destinations—I do not wish to name them, of course—everyone is welcome here and will find both the peace and tranquillity needed for a holiday and excellent conditions."
Regarding thethe migration crisis in Europe and the situation in Ceuta, Iotova said:
"Yes, protecting our borders is of paramount importance. Just as I speak about tourism and our relations with the Middle East, I am equally convinced that Bulgaria currently has some of the most secure borders in the European Union. Moreover, we are one of the Union's external borders. Naturally, we must remain highly vigilant together with our European partners, with the assistance of Frontex as well.”
Referring to the crisis in Ceuta, Iotova added:
"Everyone now views what has happened as unprecedented, but let me remind you of a fact that somehow goes unmentioned. Many years ago, Spain experienced similar incidents, and the Spanish government at the time became the first country in the European Union to begin building border walls. Spain was then threatened by the European Union with proceedings before the Court of Justice in Luxembourg for allegedly violating human rights."
The Head of State added that she had always opposed the way the EU's migration policy had been adopted:
"Isn't it paradoxical that three years ago we adopted the Migration Pact, and today it is not only failing to be implemented but is effectively being rejected once again by European leaders? This is exactly what we warned about. Personally, my conscience is clear because since 2016 I have been saying that this is not the right policy for Europe when it comes to migration."
Countries such as Bulgaria, Malta, Spain, Italy and Greece, which form the EU's external border and are constantly exposed to the risk of major migration flows, could join forces to push for changes to the policy, especially as Western European leaders are now prepared to consider such reforms, Iotova said.
"When we argued several years ago that the Dublin Agreement had long since become obsolete and needed to be changed, the new policy introduced through the Migration Pact not only failed to remove the harmful and ineffective provisions, but actually reinforced them. The result is what we are seeing today."
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