Austria assists Serbia to secure southeast border against illegal migrants

Austrian police will help Serbia secure its southeastern border with Bulgaria, Serbia's interior minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said here on Monday.

Stefanovic made the remarks at a joint press conference after meeting his Austrian counterpart Wolfgang Sobotka.

Sobotka called Serbia "Austria's central partner on the Western Balkans migrant route" and praised Serbia for preventing migrants from advancing towards the external borders of the EU.

"From next year, 20 Austrian police officers will patrol, together with Serbian colleagues, the green belt at its border with Bulgaria," Sobotka explained.

Stefanovic said the 20 Austrian police officers would help Serbia survey the area and prevent illegal migration.

According to Stefanovic, the number of migrants in Serbia sheltered in camps and centers across the country had risen to 7,500 while another 500 migrants were "traveling between Serbia's borders" daily.

Although the European Union (EU)-Turkey readmission agreement in March of this year had eased pressure on Greece and, consequently, the rest of the countries along the so-called Balkan route, Serbia remained attractive for smugglers and smaller groups of migrants.

As a result, in September, the Serbian government announced further illegal migration would be stopped.

The country's borders with Bulgaria and Macedonia have since been reinforced by army and police forces of both Serbia and other EU countries. Enditem