Bulgarian Foreign Ministry advises citizens to postpone trips to Brussels, Belgium
Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry issued an advisory on March 22 to the country’s citizens to postpone trips to Brussels and Belgium until there was clarity and normalisation of the situation following the deadly bomb attacks at Zaventem Airport and the Belgian capital’s metro.
The Foreign Ministry said that given the deteriorating internal security situation and communications after the March 22 bombing, Belgium had raised its terrorist attack risk to the highest level.
The ministry said that Bulgarians in Belgium were advised to regularly monitor announcements and comply strictly with the instructions of local authorities.
They should avoid visiting crowded places, especially major transportation hubs such as airports and the metro in Brussels and other major cities in Belgium, and should be vigilant and cautious when visiting large shopping centres, the Foreign Ministry said.
Bulgarian citizens travelling to Belgium should register on the website of the Foreign Ministry or provide contact information to the embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Brussels, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television reported on March 22 that security at Sofia Airport had been stepped up significantly, including with the deployment of additional police and sniffer dogs.
Border Police said that security had been increased at all airports in Bulgaria.
Unofficial information was that no flights at Sofia Airport had been affected. A flight to Brussels was scheduled later in the day, but was headed for Brussels’ other airport.