The Interior Ministry cannot possibly deal with all problems of national security. The army should be entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the border area between Bulgaria and Turkey. This is what former defense minister Boyko Noev said in an interview for the BNR. This is a long-term objective and cannot take place right now, Deputy Interior Minister Philip Gounev commented. Boyko Noev however objected saying the army could take over starting tomorrow – given its highly organized structure. He went on to say that the Bulgarian government should issue a political order to the army to guard the border under wartime conditions. Noev explained that the army could virtually seal the border at the cost of 50 million euro annually, while the Interior Ministry lacked the potential to deal with the border. Gounev specified that currently, 270 km of the border were being guarded by close to a 3000-strong force with Frontex officers being 140.He said the EU Bratislava summit had been successful for Bulgaria because of the acknowledgement of the importance to protect outer borders as an element of migration policy.