Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry issues advisory on Greek border blockades, protest in Athens

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued an advisory to the country’s citizens travelling to Greece ahead of the planned February 12 protests in Athens and against a background of continuing periodic blockades of crossings at the Bulgarian-Greek border.

Protests by Greek farmers against tax and pension system reforms are continuing, with participants expected to converge on the country’s capital on February 12.

Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry said that northern Greece had been severely affected by the protests and border crossings had been blocked, but a system for vehicle traffic to go through them was in place.

The Kulata-Promachonas border crossing was open for cars and buses but closed to goods lorries for most of the day. The expected “window” for trucks to pass was from 11am to 3pm, the Foreign Ministry said. However, from 3pm, it was likely that the passage of cars and buses would be blocked too, for one to two hours.

The Makaza and Zlatograd-Thermes border checkpoints were open, the Foreign Ministry said, but noted that goods lorries and buses were not allowed through these checkpoints.

The Ilinden – Exochi border crossing was open for cars and buses but closed to goods lorries. The ministry said that it had no prior information about a blockade there but said that periodically, without a set schedule, trucks sometimes could go through.

On the morning of February 12, Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry said that goods lorries were not being allowed to pass through the Ilinden – Exochi and Kulata – Promachonas border crossings, but cars, minibuses and buses were.

The remaining Greek-Bulgarian border checkpoints – Makaza, Zlatograd and Ivailovgrad, were operating normally, the Interior Ministry said...
 pernik.bg
12/2/16
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Related:

• Blockade at Greek border: Bulgaria seeks EU intervention, drivers mount counter-blockade

• Farmer blockade at Greek-Bulgarian border eases