Sat, Feb 11 2012

Two of the three Bulgarian-Greek border checkpoints closed

Wed, Jan 21 2009 10:52 CET

byPetar Kostadinov

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Two of the three border checkpoints between Bulgaria and Greece remain closed, blocked by Greek farmers, Bulgaria's Interior Ministry said on January 20 2009.

The only border checkpoint still working was the one at Svilengrad-Ormenion. The other two, Koulata-Promahon and Ilinden-Exsohi, have ceased working, letting through only ambulances, pedestrians and people with health problems.

It is not clear for how long Svilengrad-Ormenion will remain open since Greek farmers have said that they intend to block all three border checkpoints.

The whole of December 2008 was marked by series of protests by Greek farmers, protesting against the Greek government's delay in paying them state subsidies. Farmers are demanding more funds for tobacco, grain and cotton producers, and lower VAT.

On January 19 2009 Greek news-website ekathimerini.com said that Thessaly farmers drove their tractors along the Patras-Thessaloniki national highway (linking Koulata with Thessaloniki) to highlight their dissatisfaction over falling prices for their crops.

Farmers have threatened to "cut the country in two" by staging similar blockades at junctions on the national road network unless their demands are met. They want authorities to set minimum prices for their goods and increase their pensions.

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