New Surveillance System Inaugurated on Border with Turkiye

Yoanna Vodenova, Risida Dimitrova, BTA intern Sara Behar, BTA Correspondent Sevdalina Krasteva, BTA correspondent Mira Bezus

From the left: head of Border Police, Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, Interior Minister Daniel Mitov near the village of Kraynovo, September 5, 2025 (BTA Photo/Mira Bezus)

Village of Kraynovo, Southeastern Bulgaria,

05.09.2025 16:26

(BTA)

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, Interior Minister Daniel Mitov and the head of Border Police, Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov, inaugurated Friday a new surveillance system covering a 5-kilometre section of the border with Turkiye. The inaugural event took place near the village of Kraynovo, southeastern Bulgaria.

Chief Commissioner Anton Zlatanov announced that the Bulgarian border with Turkiye will be fully equipped with video surveillance and anti-drone systems by the end of 2026. He explained that since the beginning of the year, 18 km of the border have already been covered with video surveillance.

The surveillance system is part of a large-scale project worth BGN 170 million, with funding provided by the European Commission. The first 2.5 km were built near the village of Golyam Dervent. The goal is to provide reliable video monitoring and strengthen the country’s capacity to counter illegal migration, in line with Bulgaria’s commitments to protect the European Union’s external border. The project also includes an anti-drone system.

Parallel to the construction of the sensor video surveillance system, another project is also being implemented. It is financed by the state budget and is for a radar system that also has an anti-drone component. The interception and counteraction of enemy drones was demonstrated on Friday.

"This is not just the border between Bulgaria and Turkiye, it is the border between the rest of the world and the European Union. We have all witnessed how sometimes wrong political decisions create huge problems that will take decades to resolve," Prime Minister Zhelyazkov said. He added that border police officers deserve not just better working conditions, but conditions that justify the effectiveness of their work.

This is the busiest external border of the European Union, as well as one of the busiest borders in the world, Interior Minister Daniel Mitov said. “Your work not only protects us from the chaos of illegal migration, but also from the activities of human trafficking networks. We thank you for your dedication and excellent results,” Minister Mitov told the border police officers.

Migrant pressure is now ten times lower compared to July and August last year, the Director of the Border Police, Chief Commissioner Zlatanov told journalists.

/NF/