site.btaInterior Minister: Bulgarian Investigation of Border Police Officer Killing Will Parallel Turkiye’s

Bulgarian investigators will establish all facts and circumstances involved in the case of the border police officer killed on Monday while patrolling the Bulgarian-Turkish border to "make sure that what is found there [in Turkiye] will be the objective truth and the perpetrators will be punished," caretaker Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said on the sidelines in Parliament Thursday.

New information on the investigation has already been gathered, but Demerdzhiev declined to share it. All possible versions are being probed and when the authorities are largely decided on a particular one, the Minister promised it would be shared with the public.

The Oltomantsi Border Police precinct with the Dragoman Directorate in Western Bulgaria will not be closed, Demerdzhiev said during Question Time earlier in the day.

The initial mid-year decision to close the precinct was reconsidered in October because of the specific features of the border regions. Both the structure and staff at Oltomantsi will be preserved, Demerdzhiev said. The structures in the Interior Ministry are subject to constant monitoring by the leadership, as the decisions that are taken must be motivated and functional, he added.

Speaking in relation to the relocation of Ukrainian refugees to State-owned recreation facilities and hotels, Demerdhiev said that, regardless of circumstances, they would receive the necessary conditions in the State-owned facilities and remain there.

Everything necessary for all children who enrolled in educational institutions to continue their education in the respective places has been done, the Minister added. He also pointed out that part of the integration of Ukrainians in Bulgaria is to find employment, which will eliminate the need to support them, as they will be able to support themselves.