site.btaBulgaria, Turkiye Discuss Measures to Handle Increased Vehicular Traffic in Summer

Measures to handle an expected increase in vehicular traffic between Bulgaria and Turkiye during the summer were discussed by state institutions of the two countries during a working meeting at the Kapikule checkpoint on the Turkish side of the common border (across from Kapitan Andreevo in Bulgaria), the Haskovo Regional Administration reported on Monday. The meeting was aimed to assess the preparedness and the coordination among the institutions to address heavy cross-border traffic in the coming months.

Bulgaria was represented at the talks by its Deputy Tourism Minister Pavlin Petrov, Border Police Director Anton Zlatanov, Customs Agency Director Georgi Dimov, Bulgarian Food Safety Agency Executive Director Svetlozar Patarinski, Haskovo Regional Governor Stefka Zdravkova, representatives of other state institutions and diplomats.

The sides discussed cooperation and coordination in difficult road traffic situations to ensure timely response and normal movement across the border. Data presented at the meeting shows that more than 4 million passengers travelled both ways through the border crossings between Bulgaria and Turkiye last year.

Customs Agency Director Georgi Dimov said the Bulgarian authorities are prepared to address the challenges associated with the expected heavy traffic of passenger cars. He said vehicle movements are monitored from the moment they enter Bulgaria through the border crossings. The large number of officers engaged in the effort shows the strong commitment of the Bulgarian institutions, Dimov said.

Turkiye’s Edirne Governor Yunus Sezer thanked the Bulgarian institutions for their responsible attitude.