PM Glavchev: Bulgaria will support the idea for establishing centers for illegal migrants outside EU's borders.

Caretaker Prime Minister, Dimitar Glavchev, on October 17 commented from Brussels on the proposal of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the establishment of centres for illegal migrants outside the EU borders.

"This is not a bad idea, we have the first example of this with Italy and Albania. Exporting such centres to third countries is a good example that we will support."

The caretaker Prime Minister is taking part in a meeting of EU leaders where the issue of migration is a central topic. European leaders are expected to discuss a proposal to set up centres for irregular migrants outside the European Union's borders, where they can stay temporarily until they are returned to their home countries.

Asked whether negotiations with Turkey on this issue had already taken place, Glavchev said:

"We have not started such negotiations. We need to negotiate with Turkey, but they are guarding well enough against an influx of migrants, so I stressed that we are interacting with them a lot."

"We have yet to discuss the proposals for the ‘return hubs’. Rest assured that the Bulgarian position will be defended. I also intend to highlight a 70% reduction in illegal migration attempts compared to 2023 and a threefold increase in detainees. This shows a very good state of this indicator and I think that this will be taken into account by the colleagues from the European Council."

The caretaker Prime Minister also commented on the expected appearance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels to present his plan for victory.

"I would call it a formula for peace, I don't know where this 'victory plan' originated from, but we are yet to discuss it. Our position femains unchanged, we stick to the decisions of the National Assembly."

European Council President Charles Michel welcomed the participation of the Ukrainian president at the forum.

It's always a pleasure and an honour to welcome the President of Ukraine here in Brussels. In a few minutes, we will have an exchange of views following your presentation of the Victory Plan. I have two messages for the people of Ukraine and for you, dear president.

First, we are on your side for as long as it takes, whatever it takes. We know that you need more military support and more financial support. This is urgent. We will see how we can speed up more immediate support for the people of Ukraine from a military and a financial point of view.

Second, the future of Ukraine is within the EU, underlined Charles Michel, President of the European Council.

"It is very important for me to share the victory plan of all the leaders who helped us under your presidency throughout the war. I would like to talk about the millions of Russian assets, about finding mechanisms for us to get that money as soon as possible. Since we have not had military aid for a long time, we need funding. Some of this money, from the Russian assets, we need a lot," emphasized Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine.