More than 100 Bulgarian lorries blocked at border with Turkey, near Svilengrad

More than 100 Bulgarian heavy goods lorries on April 9 are blocked at the border with Turkey, near Svilengrad. Turkish authorities refuse to let them into their territory on the grounds that drivers have to undergo a 14-day quarantine, even though the drivers only travel between Bulgaria and Turkey. The Ministry of Transport is looking for a solution.

Until recently, Bulgarian drivers were among the few who travelled unhindered into Turkish territory, especially after Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's meeting with Edrine’s governor in late March. When they come from high-risk European countries, the Bulgarian transport companies change their driver to a new one in Bulgaria, thus the lorries go to Turkey without the need for quarantine.

Angel Trakov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Union of International Carriers: We carry really important goods – food, disinfectants, etc. it is crazy to close the border for us.

The Ministry of Transport said they were working to sort out the issue. The Automobile Administration together with the Ministry of Interior will issue certificates that the driver has not resided for the past 14 days in the territory of a high-risk country or has not been under quarantine. The document will be received from the National Carrier Services Bureau. However, the industry believes that this will causes delays for the drivers.

Yordan Arabadzhiev, Executive Director of the Union of International Carriers: The option is to issue this document at the border crossing point itself, when the driver arrives, gives his name, receives the document, gets on the lorry and passes.

The hope is that the issuing of such certificates will start as of today or at the latest tomorrow.