„Better preparation, interaction between institutions and better technical equipment are the way we can respond to climate change and extreme events". This was stated by the Minister of the Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev, quoted by Nova TV. He commented on the work of the new training center for firefighters and rescuers in the Blagoevgrad village of Pokrovnik, which will enable Bulgarian, Greek and Serbian employees to exchange experience and improve their interaction.
According to him, the results of the work of the fire services this year show that our country is moving in the right direction. Demerdzhiev pointed out that a lot of effort has been made to detect and extinguish fires more quickly. “Tasks were set very quickly and the professional leadership of the General Directorate “Fire Safety and Population Protection“ responded adequately“, said the Minister of the Interior. He pointed out that this year drones were also actively used, with which outbreaks can be detected at their initial stage.
- Will there be Bulgarian fire helicopters?
“There are plans for Bulgaria to have its own firefighting helicopters”, the Minister also said. He thanked the Ministry of Defense for the assistance provided this year. Military helicopters equipped for firefighting have participated in a number of operations. “Our ambition is to have our own helicopters and use them regularly“, said Demerdzhiev.
- Ministry of Interior monitors vote buying
The Minister of Interior also commented on the preparations for the upcoming elections. According to him, at the moment there are no serious signals or data on vote buying.
Special attention is paid to the cyber environment and to events related to the electoral process that cross the boundaries of the law. According to the Minister of Interior, part of the criminal activity is increasingly transferred to the Internet, which requires monitoring and countermeasures to cover this environment as well. “Some of the crime is transferred to the Internet, including that related to elections“, he pointed out.
At the coordination meeting held today with the participation of the prosecutor's office, the Ministry of Interior, the State Agency for National Security and National Defense and the Central Election Commission, the measures taken and the organization for the lawful conduct of the electoral process were discussed.
- Tsar Samuil's relics are being returned to Bulgaria
“We are witnessing something unprecedented. Something that can hardly be assessed”, commented Demerdzhiev on the occasion of the agreement reached with Greece for the return of Tsar Samuil's mortal remains to Bulgaria.
“Efforts have been made in this direction for years. Fortunately, they have already been successful thanks to the good interaction between Bulgaria and Greece, thanks to the personal efforts of both the Prime Minister and our ambassador to Greece, which must also be assessed. "We can only welcome the relics of this extremely famous and dramatic Bulgarian king on Saturday," said the interior minister. He called on citizens to participate in the event in Sofia on October 3, emphasizing that security measures have been taken.
When asked whether Skopje's claims are already being put to rest, Demerdzhiev said that when the king's sarcophagus says "King of the Bulgarians," disputes are unnecessary.