site.btaInterior Ministers of Bulgaria, North Macedonia Meet

North Macedonia's Internal Affairs Minister Oliver Spasovski is paying a working visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov, the Interior Ministry said. Meeting on Friday, the two commended Sofia-Skopje relations in home affairs.

The two officials are confident that active open dialogue will continue and will be built on in the future. They concurred on the need to expand professional cooperation on all matters of shared interest.

Rashkov stressed the importance of maintaining direct regular contacts and affirmed Bulgaria's readiness to develop and deepen bilateral cooperation, including by sharing its experience and expertise in home affairs gained since it joined the EU. 

In this context, Rashkov talked about the need of even more active and fruitful interaction in all areas, including border cooperation, the fight against transnational organized crime, and anti-terrorism.

Spasovski thanked Rashkov for the constructive and mutually beneficial talks in Sofia. He commented that Bulgaria and North Macedonia share an interest in achieving even better results in cooperation in internal affairs. He committed to work towards the strengthening and deepening of bilateral and regional contacts, including in priority areas such as the fight against organized crime and illegal migration. He cited the contact centre for police and customs cooperation in Gyueshevo as a good example of cooperation.

Rashkov and Spasovski attended a joint exercise of their ministries' anti-terror squads.