Bulgaria needs better coordination, raised awareness to deal with terrorism threats: Deputy PM

Bulgaria needs to better coordinate and raise awareness to deal with terrorism threats, the country's Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Rumiana Bachvarova said here on Thursday.

Based on two large-scale anti-terrorism drills conducted over the past year, her ministry found a lack of sufficient coordination both vertically and horizontally, Bachvarova said during a round table discussion on the threat of terrorism.

There was also insufficient understanding of the nature of the problem, Bachvarova said.

To solve the issue, the government has adopted a national strategy for combating radicalization and terrorism, activated a counter-terrorism plan, and approved a counter-terrorism bill to create an effective mechanism for inter-institutional collaboration in the prevention and response to potential terrorist threats, she said.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian society was not ready to give up some of its rights in the name of security, and this was a great social and political dilemma, Bachvarova said.

Bulgaria has been hit by a terrorist attack back in 2012, when a bomber blew himself up near a tourist bus packed with Israelis at the Burgas airport, killing five tourists and the driver. Endit