Prime Minister Boyko Borisov clarified on Thursday his position on the possibility of Bulgaria hosting a hotspot reception centre for refugees.

Borisov dismissed earlier interpretations that he had requested for such a hotspot to be set up in Bulgaria during the extraordinary meeting of the European Council on Wednesday.

At a press conference following the end of the extraordinary summit of EU heads of state or government, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Borisov had expressed interest towards hosting such a hotspot in Bulgaria.

Borisov clarified that he had rather requested for Bulgaria to be viewed as a hot spot as it as an external border of the EU which is also subject to a migratory pressure, similarly to Italy, Greece and the other member states experiencing serious migratory pressure.

The Bulgarian prime minister also called on EU leaders to treat Bulgaria on an equal footing with the most heavily affected countries from the refugee crisis.

He also proposed the creation of safe zones in Syria and its neighbouring countries as well as the active involvement of Russia and the US in finding a solution to the conflict.

Borisov noted that his words have been taken out of context and his statement before the EU leaders was misinterpreted.

He made a reference to the recent letter from Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on the great number of immigrants expected in Edirne and Istanbul.

Borisov highlighted that it was not necessary to wait for the migrant influx to reach Bulgaria in order to summon an extraordinary meeting of the European Council for EU leaders to discuss possible ways to help the country.

He reminded that Bulgaria has already spent millions on guarding its borders as well as on the registration and accommodation of refugees.

In his words, Bulgaria already constituted a hot spot as it has built various centres dealing with the registration and accommodation of refugees.

Later on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva clarified that the hosting of a hotspot by Bulgaria will be possible only and if requested by the country and in case that the need to do so arises.