Bulgarian, Greek presidents want common EU rules, solidarity in dealing with refugee crisis

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev and his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos here on Monday said the European Union (EU) should implement common rules for dealing with the refugee crisis and adopt a position of solidarity on the issue.

"When we transfer the immigrants through semi-opened or closed borders, and shift responsibility from one country to another, this is just a recipe for a catastrophe," Plevneliev said at a joint press conference after bilateral talks.

Countries are strong and can solve any problem when they act together and have a common approach to a common problem, Plevneliev said.

Therefore, Plevneliev said, Bulgaria and Greece want the EU to develop clear rules for resolving the migration problem that everyone should respect.

"When we talk about the effectiveness of the EU external borders, about hundreds of thousands, even millions of people fleeing from war and conflict, we should not abandon one another," Plevneliev said.

In order for this to happen, there must be solidarity in action within the EU, Pavlopoulos said.

The Aegean Sea should not become a place where people must watch the dead bodies of children wash up on its shores, Pavlopoulos said, adding that the EU should treat refugees as human beings and that the value of human life should take priority over money.

"We want solidarity to address this issue," he said.

On Tuesday, Pavlopoulos, who is paying a two-day official visit to Bulgaria, will participate together with Plevneliev in a meeting with business representatives from the two countries in a bid to further boost bilateral trade and investment. Endit