UN, EU to help Bulgaria cope with refugee wave

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres and European Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said here on said their organizations would send in Bulgaria consultants and money for coping with the refugee wave. The two officials made the remark after meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski, adding that they would provide the assistance "next week." The UN consulting team in Bulgaria would perform three main tasks, including building the capacity of the Agency for Refugees, refining and simplifying the procedure for obtaining refugee status, and supporting the government in various aspects of refugee society, Guterres said. Earlier on Friday, Bulgarian Defense Minister Angel Naydenov said that Syrian refugee wave could be called colossal and migration pressure would increase in the next six months, with 60 percent of refugees regarding Bulgaria as a final destination. Deputy Interior Minister Vasil Marinov said that there are currently 9,820 refugees in Bulgaria, with 439 illegally entering the country in July, 1,018 in August, 3,626 in October and 1,282 since the beginning of November.