Dozens of Armenian citizens arriving in Bulgaria have reported facing discrimination at Sofia Airport. Bulgarian border guards are accused of exhibiting rude and discriminatory behavior towards Armenians traveling from Yerevan.

Armenian tourists claim they were subjected to long waits, mocked, and in some cases, outright denied entry into the country by Bulgarian authorities.

Discrimination at Sofia Airport

Aram Mnatsakanyan is one of the many Armenians who experienced this discrimination firsthand. He shared his troubling experience with Hetq.

On August 7, Aram and a friend, both holding Schengen visas issued by the Bulgarian Embassy in Armenia, flew from Yerevan to Sofia. Upon arrival, their passports were not stamped, and they were escorted to a separate area where they were searched. After a three-hour wait, they were informed that they were being denied entry to Bulgaria. The reason given was that they could not "justify" the purpose of their visit.

“Our documents were in perfect order,” Aram explained. “We got our visas from the Bulgarian Embassy without any issues, and we had confirmed hotel reservations, medical insurance, and return tickets. Yet, we were treated like criminals.”

After being denied entry, Aram and his friend were taken to a holding area that Aram described as "prison-like" with "horrible conditions." Aram added, "Sometimes there was no electricity, the internet connection was poor, it was unbearably hot, and the place was crawling with insects. We weren’t given any food, and our only contact with the outside world was through a small window. We had to wait for hours just to ask a passing officer to escort us to a café to buy something to eat."

Aram and his friend endured four days in these conditions before they were finally able to catch the next flight from Sofia back to Yerevan.

Pictures by Davit Baghdasaryan

Davit Baghdasaryan and his wife found themselves in a similar situation. On June 9, they flew from Yerevan to Sofia, intending to stay a few days before heading to Bulgaria’s seaside. However, upon arrival, border guards separated sixty Armenian passengers and subjected them to aggressive questioning and intimidation.

“There was a dance group on our flight, and the border guards started mocking them, demanding they dance to prove they were really a dance group,” Davit recounted. “They even asked the head of the group if he was the DJ. It was humiliating.”

Davit, his wife, and another passenger with two children, were singled out and denied entry to Bulgaria. The border guards accused them of lying about their plans, questioning why they hadn’t taken a direct flight to the seaside instead of arriving in Sofia. “I explained that the flight with WizzAir was more affordable, and we wanted to explore the capital as well. But they wouldn’t listen,” said Davit.

Their bags were thoroughly searched, and their belongings were dumped out onto a bench. At dawn, they were taken to an isolation area.

Davit contacted the Armenian Embassy in Bulgaria, but the embassy staff could do little to help. Eventually, Davit asked a relative to purchase a new return ticket to Yerevan. After showing the new tickets, Davit and his wife were allowed to leave. They flew from Sofia to Istanbul, and then to Yerevan.

Davit had visited Bulgaria just a few months earlier in March. He believes this hostile treatment is an attempt by Bulgarian authorities to deter people from using Bulgaria as a gateway to other Schengen countries.

Many Armenians have shared similar stories in tourist groups on Facebook, describing incidents of discrimination and mistreatment at Bulgarian borders.

Incidents of Violence

Aram also recounted a disturbing incident involving violence by Bulgarian police on their last day in detention. After purchasing food from a café, they were forbidden to eat there, as it was considered a "public place". When Aram protested, a police officer became aggressive.

"I told them it was a violation of our rights, and the policeman got angry. He grabbed me by the clothes and forcibly dragged me out of the café," Aram recalled.

Aram’s friend tried to document the incident by taking photos and videos, but the police officer attacked him as well, knocking him to the ground and injuring his back. "They realized they had done something illegal, so they demanded the passwords to our phones. We had no choice but to comply. When they returned our phones an hour later, all the photos and videos had been deleted," Aram said.

Upon returning to Armenia, Aram wrote to the Bulgarian Embassy, demanding an explanation for their denial of entry. The embassy responded by stating that he could appeal the decision.

Aram Mnatsakanyan

Clarification from Armenian Foreign Ministry 

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently issued a statement acknowledging the increasing number of complaints about Armenian citizens being denied entry to Schengen countries, specifically citing Bulgaria.

The Ministry explained that discrepancies between the declared purpose of a visit and the actual activities might lead to entry denial.

"For example, if someone states in their Schengen visa application that they will stay in Bulgaria for 10 days but later plans to leave for another Schengen country after only three days, this could be grounds for refusal," the statement read.

However, testimonies from Armenian citizens suggest that Bulgarian border guards are inconsistent in their approach. Armenians are being denied entry even when they have no plans to leave Bulgaria, raising questions about the true reasons behind these refusals.

It appears that Bulgarian authorities are arbitrarily denying entry to several Armenian citizens from every flight, possibly to create a deterrent.

The Schengen Agreement allows individuals with a Schengen visa to move freely within the Schengen zone. According to Articles 5 and 6 of the agreement, it is not prohibited to obtain a visa from one Schengen country, enter that country, and then travel to another Schengen country.

Even if an Armenian citizen with a Schengen visa decides to visit another Schengen country, such as Spain, and then return to Bulgaria, they would not be breaking any laws.

The actions of the Bulgarian border guards seem to contradict the principles of the Schengen Agreement. If citizens were only allowed to visit the country from which they received their visa, it would imply the need for a separate visa for each Schengen country, which is not the case.

Of note is that Bulgaria began sending back Armenian citizens after officially joining the Schengen zone in March of this year.