News analysis: Refugee crisis cann't be simply solved by state of emergency

Huge increase in the number of migrants and refugees from the Middle East and Asia trying to enter Macedonia through its southern border with Greece led Macedonian authorities to declare a "state of emergency" on Thursday, which will deploy the army and try to control the situation at the border.

Humanitarian organizations activists called the situation "dramatic", while thousands of people mainly from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan are waiting at the border, trying to enter Macedonia from Greece and continue their way to Serbia to the north.

"The assistance that we could give, such as food and other necessities, was primarily intended to reach every migrant and refugee who crosses the border but it has to be reduced and we can only help the most vulnerable - mothers, children, pregnant women and older people. We just don't have enough for everyone," activist Jasmin Rexhepi told Xinhua in Skopje.

Macedonian president Gjorge Ivanov, as Commander-in- Chief of the country's armed forces, issued an order on Thursday deploying the army at the southern and the northern border of the country in order to deal with the increased influx of asylum seekers.

The order was given after the Macedonian government declared a "state of emergency" in its two border regions, the two ends of a south-north track passing through Macedonia towards Europe by migrants and refugees coming from the Middle East and Asia via Greece, the internal affairs ministry said.

Security experts consider this to be "a legitimate measure" and "a logic consequence to the huge migrant and refugee influx that Macedonia faces in the past several months".

"It's a sovereign right of the state to secure its sovereignty and to increase the control and the security of the border, of course considering the international aspects - allowing safe passage to everyone who can cross the border legally," Trpe Stojanovski, professor at the Faculty of Security and expert on migration issues told Xinhua in Skopje.

"The engagement of the military at the border has two purposes - to increase the security of the population and the border regions and secondly, to allow for more human approach towards the migrants and refugees seeking asylum in Macedonia or using this country as a transit towards Europe," police spokesperson Ivo Kotevski explained on Thursday, admitting that the measure will not definitely solve the migrant and refugee crisis threatening not only Macedonia, but also other Balkan and European countries.

The security of the national border, according to Macedonian law, is in the hands of the police forces. But they have problems controlling the huge migrant and refugee influx mainly from the Middle East and Asian countries. Declaring "state of emergency" is to let the army be deployed at the border and help the police.

According to provisions in the Macedonian law, the Army can support the police in a state of emergency when the security of the country is under risk and the police has no sufficient means and the resources to prevent and control the situation. The state of emergency can last up to 30 days and in case there is a need to be prolonged the government will need the approval of the Parliament.

The Government decision also envisages forming a Main headquarters at the Center for Crisis Management where a special action plan should be developed for dealing with the border pressure caused by thousands of migrants and refugees trying to enter the country and transit towards Europe.

Macedonian police puts part of the blame for the huge influx of migrants and refugees on their colleagues in neighboring Greece. "Sadly, the south border was not protected at all from the Greek side. The illegal migrant were constantly allowed to cross over into Macedonia, and in some cases we even found that they were given organized transport to the border," spokesperson Kotevski said.

The attempts by the Macedonian police to contact their Greek colleagues and urge cooperation in this field remained without any result. Trying to control the situation at the border, Macedonian police has additional monthly expenses of over 800,000 euros (960,000 U.S. dollars).

Macedonian authorities now expect concrete measures and help from the European Union addressing the huge migrant and refugee influx. "Certainly this is a problem that Macedonia can't solve by itself especially having in mind the unlucky fact that this country is on the main corridor for illegal migrant transit towards Europe," Stojanovski said.

According to the police statistics, Macedonian authorities in the past 24 hours have issued 1,327 applications to migrants and refugees who have crossed the border into the country, and in the past two months over 40,000 migrants and refugees have declared their intent to seek an asylum.

According to the last amendments to the law, Macedonia allowed for three days for free transit to migrants and refugees who will declare their intent to seek an asylum. Otherwise they have to leave the country and continue their journey. Most of the migrants and refugees decided to continue their journey through Serbia on the north towards Europe, but 47 migrants and refugees chose to stay in Macedonia and seek an asylum in this country. (1 euro = 1.12 U.S. dollars) Endit