site.btaUPDATED Parts of Kapitan Andreevo Border Checkpoint Declared National Security Site

Parts of the Kapitan Andreevo border control checkpoint were declared a national security site. The decision was taken at the meeting of the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, caretaker Agriculture Minister Yavor Gechev told journalists.

In Gechev's words, this unambiguously puts an end to the question of the State's actions regarding the control exercised by the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA). By the Council of Ministers' Decision, some of the premises of Kapitan Andreevo, where imported food is inspected, acquire a special status, he said.

The State Agency for National Security will check the security passes of all who enter the premises and will introduce specific protection, including information and physical protection, Gechev also said. "The State is exercising full control," he stressed.

The Agriculture Minister added that work is underway to increase the capacity of the state control laboratory. Equipment should be purchased and a national laboratory with BFSA should be stationed at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint in the next six months, Gechev explained.