Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia to co-operate against crime

30/09/2008

BELGRADE, Serbia -- Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania signed an agreement Monday (September 29th) for co-operation in the fight against crime. Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, Bulgaria's Mihail Mikov and Romania's Cristian David initialled the document. One of the main problems in the region is cigarette smuggling, said Dacic, who hosted the signing ceremony. In the first eight months of this year, customs officers seized around 13,000 crates of cigarettes at the Bulgarian-Serbian border. The document signed Monday also marks the beginning of a procedure to facilitate border-crossing procedures for those living nearby. The three countries also will participate in an anti-terror exercise in Serbia that will simulate an attack on a hydropower plant. The document also envisions co-operation and support in dealing with natural disasters. (BNR, Bulgarian interior ministry website, Focus, RTS - 29/09/08)