On July 2nd, 2024, work teams from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Romania and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria had a meeting in videoconference format, under the coordination of Mr. Bogdan DESPESCU, State Secretary for Order and Public Safety, and of the Bulgarian counterpart, Mr. Dimitar KANGALDZHIEV, General Secretary. The two teams were formed by representatives of the Police, Border Police, and Immigration and Anticorruption structures from the two countries.
The meeting represented a continuation of the discussions held by the two dignitaries on May 22nd, 2024 in Ruse, in the Republic of Bulgaria, during which joint measures were agreed to strengthen bilateral operative cooperation, intensifying direct contacts. Also, the meeting highlighted the advanced level of mutual trust within the profile cooperation. The agreed measures were included in a Joint Action Plan, the first results of which were highlighted in today’s meeting.
During the discussions, the excellent cooperation between the Border Police structures of the two countries was emphasized, through effective exchange of information, joint patrols and joint operations to combat illegal migration. An important topic of the discussions was the agreement of common measures for the management of traffic through the border crossing points during the summer season.
The effective fight against organized and cross-border crime was expounded as a common priority, with an emphasis on combating migrant trafficking, drug trafficking and cigarette smuggling, cooperation between the competent structures within specific joint investigations being very good. In this context, in addition to the existing contacts at the central level between the organized crime structures of the two countries, direct contacts were also established between the territorial structures in the adjacent border areas.
At the same time, the two delegations agreed on additional measures regarding the safety of tourists and the improvement of road safety.
The cooperation in the field of combating corruption between the competent structures of the two ministries of the interior was highlighted both in terms of activities at the national and regional levels.
At the end of the discussions, the delegations agreed to continue with the same frequency the joint activities in all areas of mutual interest.
