(ANSA) - SOFIA, 26 AGO - Yesterday at the Illinden-Exohi border crossing between Bulgaria and Greece, closed by the Greek authorities to stem the coronavirus, Bulgarian haulers' protest resumed. The haulers must extend their journeys by more than 100 kilometers to cross the border at Kulata-Promahon.

The Greek authorities initially closed the Illinden-Exohi crossing to trucks until August 3, and then extended the closure until August 31. Bulgarian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that "he fully supports the just demands of Bulgarian carriers for the immediate restoration of the right to free movement of persons and goods in the European Union" and that "they have not stopped pressuring on the Greek authorities to achieve this goal". In Sofia, at the Foreign Ministry, two meetings took place with the Greek embassy's interim manager in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian side underlined that "the closure of the Illinden-Exohi border crossing on July 22 harms business on both sides of the border, especially in the difficult economic scenario due to the Covid-19 crisis." The authorities underlined that "in recent weeks, the spread of Covid-19 in Bulgaria has decreased significantly, unlike Greece's epidemiological situation, where the infection is increasing." Today, the Minister of Health, Kostadin Anghelov, will present the proposal to the Government to extend the emergency for Covid-19 from August 31 until the end of September. Anghelov told reporters that Sofia would not impose massive restrictive measures during this time extension. (ANSA).