Bulgarian Border Police Acquires New Patrol Vessel, for the First Time Ever

Roumen Yanovski

The new patrol ship of the Bulgarian Border Police was christened at a ceremony in the Port of Burgas, June 7, 2023 (BTA Photo)

Burgas, on the Black Sea,

07.06.2023 12:15

(BTA)

The Bulgarian Border Police acquires for its fleet a new patrol vessel to protect the national maritime border and participate in joint operations of Frontex, Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov said in Burgas, on the Black Sea, Wednesday. He attended a ceremony for hoisting the flag and christening the vessel, Balchik.

The Minister said that the event is important for Bulgaria and Europe, in a view of Bulgaria's responsibility to protect the external land and maritime border of the EU.

"This responsibility requires a lot of resources and efforts, human resources, reliable equipment, an information sharing mechanism and cooperation. No country can take on this heavy task alone. Guarding the external borders is a common cause. Therefore, I thank the European Commission for providing a grant under the Internal Security Fund," the Minister added. He specified that the patrol ship Balchik will perform a wide range of tasks: from countering illegal migration and cross-border crime in the territorial water of Bulgaria to rescue operations at sea.

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