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[POLITICS] · Austria, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan · 2 sources

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Part of situation: Austrian cross-border security cooperation (2 clusters)

Austrian Interior Minister meets Bulgarian and Kazakh counterparts in Vienna

Gerhard Karner border protection human smuggling Schengen Area migration control

Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner met with Bulgarian Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev and Kazakh Interior Minister Yerzhan Sadenov in Vienna on October 19, 2026. The discussions focused on cooperation regarding external border protection and combating human smuggling networks.

Karner noted that Bulgaria has significantly strengthened its border security through expanded police forces and technical measures. According to the Austrian Interior Ministry, these efforts have led to a sharp decline in illegal migration at the Bulgarian EU external border, with interception numbers approaching zero. This improvement has also resulted in a decrease in illegal crossings at the Austrian-Hungarian border.

The meeting also served to continue bilateral dialogues with Kazakhstan following previous working discussions held in May 2026.

Entities

Austria · Bulgaria · Gerhard Karner · Ivan Demerdzhiev · Yerzhan Sadenov

Sources

Karner trifft Amtskollegen aus Bulgarien und Kasachstan in Wien [www.vol.at]
Innenminister Karner trifft Amtskollegen aus Bulgarien und Kasachstan ⋆ TOP News Österreich - Nachrichten aus Österreich und der ganzen Welt [www.top-news.at]