Protesting Greek farmers blocked the Ormenion border crossing at 5 pm on Sunday and traffic through the Kapitan Petko Voivoda Bulgarian border checkpoint stopped, Commissioner Todor Georgiev, head of the Regional Border Police Directorate in Smolyan, said on Sunday.

The Greek border authorities said the blockade would last an hour. There is no heavy traffic since it is Sunday evening, Georgiev said. "After the road block is lifted, we will see to it that traffic returns to normal in both directions," he said.

Blagoevgrad Deputy Regional Governor Georgi Bahanov met Saturday at the Koulata border checkpoint between Bulgaria and Greece with the Deputy Regional Governor of the Greek Region of Serres, Thomas Siamdiris, to discuss the situation and problems in connection with the protests of Greek farmers who plan to block key roads in the area and border checkpoints.

Greek sources have informed Bahanov that Greek farmers will block on Monday the Koulata-Promachonas border checkpoint. It is yet unclear when exactly this will take place, nor whether any vehicles will be let to pass.

Bahanov said the leaderships of the two regions in Bulgaria and Greece are ready to interact, as are the border authorities and police, in order to cope as quickly as possible with any problems and difficulties caused by the protests.

Bahanov appealed to Bulgarians to postpone if possible any trips they have planned to Greece in the coming week. Those who cannot postpone their journeys are advised to enter Greece via Macedonia.

The Bulgarian Interior Ministry and the Transport Ministry too advised Bulgarian citizens, forwarding companies and hauliers against travelling to Greece.

Bahanov said that contrary to what has been promised earlier, there are no guarantees that cars and coaches will be let to pass through the blocked border checkpoints. The Greek officials taking part in the Saturday meeting said that most likely no vehicles will be let to pass from Bulgaria to Greece in the first 24 hours of the blockade. Three hundred tractors and other farming machinery are expected to be piled on the Greek side of the Koulata-Promachonas and Ilinden-Exochi border checkpoints.

The Greek officials said the blockade will most likely continue for ten days.

The newly opened Zlatograd-Xanthi border checkpoint works normally, the border police in Smolyan, Southwestern Bulgaria, said. Traffic to and from Greece and Bulgaria in the first 24 hours after the opening of the border checkpoint is busy. However, as this only a border checkpoint for tourists, heavy-duty trucks are not allowed to use it.

Source: BTA