Bulgarian authorities say they are constructing a fence on a 30-kilometer stretch of the country's border with Turkey in an effort to stop illegal immigration.

But they are denying accusations the fence is intended to keep out refugees from Syria and other war-ravaged countries seeking to get into the EU.  Bulgaria is not a wealthy country, and yet faces stresses on its system from an influx of migrants from the south.  They’re coming in faster than Sofia is able to provide for them.

Defense Minister Angel Naydenov said that the 3-meter-high fence will run mainly through forested, hilly areas where visibility for border patrols is limited.  It’s quite a reversal for Bulgaria, which ran barbed wire across its borders during the cold war to keep people from getting out.  Those barriers were removed by 2004 when it joined NATO.

The fence expected to be ready by February.