Bulgaria FM: EU Migrant Quotas Looking Ludicrous

Sofia will abide by its commitments to relocate migrants from the Middle East, but in light of recent developments the quota plan looks ludicrous at the moment, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov said.

In an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio on Sunday, he warned it was high time for the EU to regain control over the situation in which it appears incapable of differentiating between "refugees" and "economic migrants".

He stressed the need to apply EU-wide programs aimed at sending economic migrants back home, but without failing to show sympathy and provide assistance to refugees.

"It is only then that we can speak of control over the situation... Now, a migrant stays in Europe regardless of whether they were granted asylum permission [sic], and this makes Europe look incapable," Mitov argued.

Praising Bulgaria's effort to protect EU external borders, Mitov argued Brussels should focus its attention on the needs of Greece, whose border (also external for the bloc) requires assistance.

Provisional measures to step up border security might be introduced, but no freedoms gained in Europe should be renounced over a temporary situation of crisis, the minister explained.

Mitov once again opined the Syrian crisis has to be solved through the effort of Syrians themselves and also of neighboring states.

For yet another time he put emphasis on Sofia's position that any peace process involving Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is "impossible".

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