1st LD Writethru: Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania don't want to be buffer zone for refugees: PMs

The prime ministers of Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania jointly announced here on Saturday that they will not allow their countries to become a buffer zone for refugees.

If Germany, Austria and other countries close their borders, the three Balkan countries will not agree to become a buffer zone for refugee flows located between Turkey and fences that will follow after Serbia, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told a joint press conference.

"We will be ready in the same way to close our borders at the same moment," Borissov announced the joint position of the three countries, which will be expressed on Sunday at an EU special summit on tackling migration that will be held in Brussels.

"We will not put our countries on the devastating pressures of millions who would come," Borissov said.

The intensive building of fences in Europe worried Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania, and the three countries were worried about how far the refugee wave would reach, Borissov said.

The three countries support the readmission, refugees have to go back to the places where they were, and it should actually be the ultimate goal, Borissov added.

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta said that the three neighbors perform their duties, and are in solidarity with the whole of Europe.

However, all European countries should take responsibilities, and not only some, he said.

"If there are countries that close their borders or build fences, then we have the right to defend ourselves at the same time," Ponta said.

"This is not a good solution. The best solution is joint action across Europe -- from the first country that is obviously Greece, to the farthest country," Ponta said.

Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania will say this at European level and will cooperate, work together in exactly this direction and in this sense, he said.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic echoed that his country would always take refugees in the best possible way, but it is unreal that two or three million such refugees could stay here.

That is why the three countries agreed that they cannot accept such a scenario, Vucic said.

"We need a comprehensive solution, which can not but be at the expense of our countries," Vucic said. Endit