Dispute disrupts truck traffic at Turkish – Bulgarian border
A 25km-long queue of lorries formed at the Bulgarian – Turkish border checkpoint at Kapitan Andreevo on October 9 because of a dispute that led to the closure on the Turkish side.
There also were problems with truck traffic access at the Lesovo border checkpoint.
The dispute is the result of Turkish customs officials not wanting Bulgaria’s State Automobile Inspectorate to conduct checks on trucks crossing the border.
Bulgaria insists that the checks must be conducted as part of its international obligations. The checks by Bulgaria are part of a European campaign on inspecting trucks and buses.
The Bulgarian Association of Road Transport Unions was scheduled to discuss the situation with the State Automobile Inspectorate on the morning of October 9.
Bulgarian haulers insist that there should be checks on both sides, local media reports said. They reject Turkish opposition to the Bulgarian inspections.
Petko Angelov of the Bulgarian Association of Road Transport Unions said that for several months, Bulgarian carriers have been paying “unlawful” fines and have repeatedly demanded that these be removed “but no one paid any attention”.
Now when checks were made to control the passage of Turkish trucks, they were protesting, he said.
(Bulgarian – Turkish border checkpoint at Lesovo. Photo: Anton Lefterov)
