Bulgaria is very close to being included in the US visa-free travel program. We are making this a top priority, and our government is proud to report significant progress. I emphasized this in my conversation with Undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security Christopher Pratt.
This was revealed on Facebook by Interior Minister Daniel Mitov.
The meetings at the Department of Homeland Security and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security concluded their working visit to the US. The delegation also included the directors of the General Directorate of the "National Police" (GDNP), the General Directorate of the "Fighting Organized Crime" (GDBOP) and the General Directorate of the "Border Police" (GDGP) – Chief Commissioners Zahari Vaskov, Boyan Raev and Anton Zlatanov.
A new trilateral meeting between the United States, the European Commission and Bulgaria will begin this week, at which technical issues from the work plan will be discussed. The assessment of the administration of President Donald Trump for the completed period is expected in December. I hope that it will be positive, so that we can successfully complete the path that we began together many years ago. Invite representatives of the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a mission in our country, with which they can check on the spot their readiness not to enter the program.
With Undersecretary Pratt, we also discussed security issues on two of the busiest borders in the world - the Bulgarian-Turkish and the American-Mexican.
Over the past four years of political timelessness and instability, Bulgaria has lost the right direction. But since January we have had a stable regular government, determined to fulfill our mandate and return our country to the series of partners both in the US and within the framework of the low union. I emphasized that the Ministry of Interior, in close cooperation with the employees of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in Sofia, will be a reliable partner in identifying and intercepting potential threats - both to Bulgarian society and to American citizens and diplomats working in our country.
I was categorical in the commitment of the Ministry of Interior and the entire Bulgarian government to effectively combat human trafficking and illegal migration.
At the end of the visit, special thanks were expressed to the Bulgarian Chargé d'Affaires in the US Stefka Yovcheva and the liaison officer with the Ministry of Interior in Washington Ivaylo Genkov for the excellent preparation and organization of the visit of the Bulgarian delegation.