LOCAL PRESS

 

Nikolic: We must appreciate all victims (RTS)

It would not be fair to reach a resolution on Srebrenica where only one people would be emphasized as victims, and there were only one people who committed the crime, but we must all show that we would discard criminals from our ranks and appreciate all victims, Serbian

President Tomislav Nikolic said on Sunday, Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS) reported. “I am prepared for a general view. And individually, well, you can see that I do not propose anything that would emphasize that only Serbs have been victims”, he said to the reporters after revealing of the monument to the great scientist Nikola Tesla at the plateau in front of the National Library of Serbia building in Belgrade. When asked how he perceived the proposal of resolution on Srebrenica that was proposed by the part of the opposition filed in Serbian Parliament, Nikolic said that he stressed his view when he requested a veto in the UN Security Council to the resolution that “was not founded or truthful, but unilateral, with the wish to condemn only Serbian people”. “A big part of humanity understood this and stopped it”, he said. Nikolic stated that he made a proposition to the Bosniak member of B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic to go together to both Serbian and Bosniak places of suffering around Srebrenica, which was once again refused by Izetbegovic. “We could have gone together to places of suffering of Serbian people and Bosniaks, show that we share the pain of one another. You cannot share the pain of just one people. In that case, you are a one-sided person”, Nikolic concluded.

 

Around 700 migrants at Serbian-Hungarian border (TV Pink/Tanjug)

There are around 700 migrants at two crossings on the Serbian-Hungarian border, show figures released by Serbia's Commissariat for Refugees, while the UN refugee agency UNHCR says there is no reason to fear a repetition of last year's situation, when up to 10,000 migrants were crossing into the country daily. Deputy Commissioner for Refugees Ivan Georgijev told TV Pink that, as of Monday, there were 860 refugees in permanent centres in Serbia and 450 in temporary centers, around 700 at the Horgos and Kelebija border crossings and 150-200 more in Belgrade parks. “That is the total number of migrants and we do not expect a major surge or a disaster. We have a situation where there is wire on our northern border and smugglers are getting in some more people from Macedonia and Bulgaria,” Georgijev said. With Hungary letting through 15 people a day, it is very difficult to get the migrants off the northern border because they are hoping they will cross the border at some point in time, he said. Over 100,000 people have passed through Serbia this year, with 4,600 requesting asylum, Georgijev said.

 

Mayors, Kosovo ministry, OSCE to draft ZSO statute (Tanjug/B92)

The drafting of the statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) will be entrusted to mayors of four majority Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo, Zeri reported. According to the report, the statute will be produced in close cooperation with the Kosovo Ministry for Local Self-Government, and with OSCE's participation. Earlier, Kosovo officials said that a working group would be formed soon - but that the ZSO will not be functional before Serbia has implemented its obligations from the Brussels agreement.

 

Cadez: Implementation of Paris Agreement starts (Beta)

Representatives of agriculture and food companies from Serbian and Albanian environments paid a two-day visit to the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where they learned about the way local cooperatives and associations work, as well as models for setting up business clusters and cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and big businesses, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce said on 8July. The business delegations were headed by the presidents of the Serbian and Kosovo chambers of commerce, Marko Cadez and Safet Gerxhaliu, respectively. "With this visit, organized by the Serbian and Kosovo chambers of commerce, only several days after the Paris summit, we started implementing the conclusions and agreements reached at the event in France, and as part of preparations for the next summit, which will be held in Rome in June next year, within the Berlin process," Cadez said.

 

Kukan: EU membership will not come soon (Tanjug)

Serbia’s European integration will gain full momentum after the opening of Chapters 23 and 24 in the accession talks, but EU membership should not be expected to come soon, says Eduard Kukan MEP. Kukan, who has visited Belgrade as a member of the informal Friends of Serbia group of MEPs, told Tanjug that they had encouraged the Serbian authorities to continue preparations for EU membership, noting that Serbia had many friends in the European Parliament who sincerely wanted to see it in the EU. He said that he had heard in Belgrade that the Serbian authorities were very committed to European integration but that they knew that the process was not easy and that it required reforms, which he said would pay off in the future as EU membership would bring many advantages to the citizens. However, EU membership should not be expected to come soon, he said. Asked how Brexit would affect the enlargement process, Kukan responded that he did not believe the enlargement process and developments in the wake of Brexit would affect one another. However, the UK was a supporter of the enlargement and we have lost a large country that could have played a positive role in the process, he noted.

 

Nuland to visit Belgrade (Tanjug)

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland will pay a visit to Belgrade on Monday to meet with government officials and civil society representatives, the U.S. Department of State has announced. Nuland and her hosts will discuss a range of bilateral and regional matters, including progress in the implementation of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and the continued support for Serbia's efforts on the path towards the EU. At the beginning of the visit, Nuland will speak with Serbian parliament speaker Maja Gojkovic and a parliamentary delegation headed by deputy speaker Vladimir Marinkovic, and then meet with Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic. Nuland and Vucic will meet in the Bokeljka Villa and are scheduled to speak to media around 7.15 pm, the Serbian government has announced.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Durakovic: We are hurt by denying of genocide against Bosniaks (Vecernji list)

The Head of Municipality Srebrenica Camil Durakovic talked about marking of 11 July and stressed that Srebrenica andpeople who live in Srebrenica do not change on 11 July, as they carry their grief and paid every day. He noted that it is tradition for politicians from the RS and Serbia to try to create tensions with beginning of July, arguing that tensions do not exist in Srebrencia besides this, and this year that was his statement about “deniers of genocide not being welcome to Potocari”. Durakovic noted that people in Srebrencia are hurt by constant disputing of genocide, in spite of all court verdicts and all the evidence, such is the recording of execution in Trnovo. Nonetheless, Durakovic said that he is an optimist regarding future life in Srebrenica, in spite of the census results, arguing that such results are consequence of not only the war, but of wrong politics carried by both Sarajevo and the RS. “Past year the presence of those who deny genocide resulted in increase of tensions and attack on one of the guests. After that, nobody remembered the victims anymore, of the genocide or grieving families. Everything was about the attack and the persons attacked. We decided to prevent that this year. However, I have to make it clear one again- we did not decide that Serbian leadership is not welcomed, but that people denying genocide are not welcomed. So, the Serbian leadership is not welcomed not as such, but because of their stances on genocide,” said Durakovic. He argues that he is not the right person to comment the investigation of the attacks on Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, arguing that as President of Organization Board he wants the details revealed. He stressed that they are grateful to Serbia and Vucic for the funds donated for infrastructure projects, stressing that he only asked for these funds not to be tied to genocide and truth about the war. “This is not compensation to Bosniaks, this is assistance to Municipality which suffered a lot of damage during the war and it is assistance to Serbs and Bosniaks who live there…Economic cooperation between Serbia and Srebrenica is going well and joint economic projects are going their course,” said Durakovic.

 

Kerry: U.S. with the people of B&H (klix.ba)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the people of the U.S. firmly stand with the people of B&H at the time when is marked the 21^st anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

He stated that all those who committed the genocide must be held responsible, and emphasized in a statement of the State Department, that leaders of B&H must unite in order for the country to go forward. He also stated that it is necessary to promote social cohesion, good management and economic prosperity. He added that the children and grandchildren of Srebrenica generation need to be allowed to build strong communities and have safe lives. “We are paying tribute to more than 8,000 men and boys that were killed. We are paying tribute to their families who are still searching for justice. The memory of this terrible crime is important, but more important is to prevent anything like this to happen again,” said Kerry. He added that it is particularly important for the remains of the last victims to be identified and buried with dignity so that their families can finally begin to recover. “The memory of what happened in Srebrenica should strengthen our determination to overcome differences in peace and with respect for the fundamental dignity of every person, regardless of their nationality, race, gender or religion,” stated Kerry. At the end he concluded that the U.S. deeply values their friendship with the people of B&H.

 

Dodik: International community’s double standards for Bratunac and Srebrenica (Srna)

After a memorial service for victims of the Middle Podrinje and Bratunac regions, Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik said in Bratunac that it is of crucial importance not to forget the Serbian victims, since, in addition to their deaths, another crime was committed – some 3,500 people killed until 1995 in these parts suddenly disappeared and were overshadowed by the events related to Srebrenica. “If we are not determined to continue marking these events and sufferings, no one else will do it for us,” Dodik said. He says that it is very important to emphasize the fact that something horrible happened here where 3,500 Serbs were killed until 1995. “No one is justifying the huge crime that was committed in Srebrenica, but that which hurts is the fact that the international community only emphasizes this suffering and this crime, and forgets the suffering of Serbs, and that no one has yet answered for it,” Dodik has warned.
He added that this proved to be true today also, since no foreign official or diplomat attended the commemoration in Bratunac, and it will be seen in two or three days who will come to Srebrenica where double standards will be exposed. Dodik said that one can draw only one true conclusion – that the international community is the greatest saboteur and destroyer of B&H because it has double standards.

Dodik attended the central commemoration held in Bratunac on 9 July on the occasion of the 24th anniversary of the great suffering of Serbs in the area of Srebrenica and Bratunac on St. Peter’s Day, 1992, and in remembrance of all Serbs of the Middle Podrinje and Birac regions killed by the so-called Army of B&H in the defense patriotic war.

 

Jovanovic, Bandic, Cormack and other officials paid tribute to victims (klix.ba)

Numerous officials are coming to Srebrenica to pay the tribute to the murdered residents of Srebrenica, who will now find their last peace in the Memorial Centre Potocari.

Mayor of Srebrenica, Camil Durakovic, greeted guests who will attend this year’s commemoration in the memorial room. Cedomir Jovanovic, Milan Bandic, Nermin Niksic, Damir Masic, Ismir Jusko, U.S. Ambassador Maureen Cormack, Theodor Meron and other officials have already arrived in the Memorial Center, where they will attend the commemoration of victims of Srebrenica genocide. “It’s been 21 years, and Srebrenica is still a painful spot. We do not need individual opinions, we need a clear political attitude. Anyone who has committed genocide and crimes should be held responsible for it. It is necessary to adopt a resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica as soon as possible, since such act would improve relations between countries in the former Yugoslavia. Even after 21 years it is not too late to come to Srebrenica. This is a place that we all need to remember, and until we move and bring the policy that will be unique for the whole B&H, we are not going to make any improvement,” said Jovanovic.

Ambassador Maureen Cormack stated that the commitment of the United States towards Srebrenica remained the same over the past 20 years. The Ambassador reiterated the statement of the Secretary of State John Kerry who said that the citizens of the United States are standing shoulder to shoulder with the citizens of B&H and Srebrenica.

“We came here today to pay the tribute to the victims, but also to request the justice for those who are still missing,” said Cormack.

 

Jovanovic: I will be in Srebrenica on 11 July (klix.ba)

The leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Cedomir Jovanovic talked about the current political situation in the region, in Serbia, but also the anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, and announced that he will visit Potocari and Srebrenica on 11 July. “I want to believe that it will come a time when it will be normal for a president or prime minister of Serbia to be in Srebrenica, not to invent some other name for genocide that took place there, not to come there because someone is asking for it, but because innocent people were killed there and normal people in a normal time understand that, without a need for any other explanations, to realize that every pain is the same and we do not have a lot of people in the world that are closer than we are to each other. I want to believe that the time will come when Serbia will end with the criminal policy which includes the denial of genocide, and that it will end with the criminals who conducted this horrible crime. I’ll be there in Srebrenica, because I believe that such relationships can be built, because I feel a deep human need to be there on the 11th of July and because today we cannot lean on those who want to take us back to the hatred and madness, “said Jovanovic. He also said that without complete honesty in the mutual relations in the region, which includes normalization of the situation in Kosovo and the recognition of the genocide in Srebrenica as well as much more, joint regional projects will be only isolated incidents.

“Every question that is trying to enlighten the situation in our region clashes with the same answer, in order to have a different region, relations based on understanding and cooperation, the market and unique cultural space, we need to moved out of the quicksand that was eating us alive for the past two decades and we must decide first what we want to be and how we want to achieve it. As long as our intention to move towards Europe and towards the normalization of the situation in the region does not have place in a clear political decisions, from the normalization of the situation in Kosovo to the recognition of the genocide in Srebrenica, from approaching the EU’s foreign policy to respect the legally prescribed freedoms, if we do not show the ability to understand each other as we would like others to understand us, any conversation of joint projects will be only an isolated case, the story for media or foreign statesmen who visit indigenous tribes. If we want a different and more functional world around us, we have to be different than we are,” said Jovanovic. Whether the new government in Serbia is ready to transform into a different kind of society or not, will be shown in the next few months. Serbia received considerable amount of support in the negotiation process with the EU, but without constructive role towards B&H, without favoring smaller B&H entity, that transformation will not be complete. “If the next government seriously approaches to implementation of the Brussels agreement, if it takes a constructive role in B&H, if it seriously starts to approach the European security and foreign policy, the time will come when the negotiation process will be unblocked. Otherwise, without a honest desire to change relations in the region and for Serbia to be organized as a country of free media and judiciary system, with transformed state apparatus, regulated situation of all minorities, chapters of negotiations with the European Union will be an empty shell of the Brussels bureaucracy and will not take us anywhere,” concluded Jovanovic.

 

HDZ and MOST deny last-minute coalition reshuffle attempt (Jutarnji list)

According to media reports, there is still possibility that some MPs would like to prevent the dissolution of parliament on 15 July. Some of the MPs in the current parliament and some ministers are quite sure that after the early parliamentary elections in September they will not be re-elected. Therefore, according to media reports, there are those who believe that it is still not too late for a coalition reshuffle to take place after all, reports Jutarnji list. According to one member of the still ruling coalition, in the last few days there have been intense discussions about whether HDZ and MOST could still prevent the dissolution of Parliament. The idea was founded on the fact that in June MOST agreed to join the initiative for the dissolution of Parliament due to the behavior of HDZ which was then led by Tomislav Karamarko, who brought down Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic and thus the whole government. Karamarko is now history, and Andrej Plenkovic will soon become HDZ president. At the time, he advocated the position that HDZ should not vote against Oreskovic. The advocates of the urgent coalition reshuffle idea do not have a lot of time and any such deal should be made by the end of next week. There are people who believe that it is possible to reach an agreement between MOST and Plenkovic-led HDZ to find 76 MPs willing to support a new Prime Minister-designate. Even though parliament did vote for its dissolution, the decision will take effect on 15 July, so it is theoretically possible that it could give its support to a new government. The only question is what would be achieved with such decision. For that government to last more than two months, Parliament would also have to withdraw its decision on dissolution. It is very doubtful whether Parliament could vote again on the same matter and annuls a decision which has already been adopted and whose political consequences have already been felt.

However, both HDZ and MOST deny there are serious discussions about any such plans. “Things have gone too far. There is no possibility for any reshuffle. Something like that would be a political suicide for whomever would try to explain this type of manoeuvring to voters”, said one HDZ member. Miroslav Simic (MOST) confirmed that there were such ideas. “We have very clearly demonstrated that we do not care about positions in government, but we want to protect national interests”, said Simic. “The only reshuffle we are interested in are the elections”, concluded Simic.

 

Pajovic: Montenegro belongs in the West (Mina)

After the Warsaw Summit, Montenegro is one step away from membership in NATO and Western civilization, where it belongs, said Montenegrin parliament speaker Darko Pajovic.

He spoke to Mina agency saying that messages of support heard in Warsaw are good news for Montenegro. It is all but certain that Montenegro will become a member of NATO after this Summit. “This presents yet another confirmation of Montenegro’s path and determination to reach NATO standards,” Pajovic said. He underscored that NATO has no alternative and that Montenegro will achieve peace by joining. “This region has often faced war. It is of incredible value to offer peace to future generations, and they will know to appreciate it,” Pajovic said.

According to him, what is left for Montenegro is to continue being dedicated to reforms.

“There is no reason to stop,” Pajovic said, adding that Montenegrin institutions have great responsibility. Commenting on his experience as a president of the Parliament so far, he said that it depends. “In some ways, the Parliament works well, on the other hand, some sectors need to be more efficient,” Pajovic thinks. Asked about parliamentary incidents of late, he said that they are ordered and planned. “They are not coincidences. Certain political players believe that they can cause political instability and strengthen their positions in that way. It is calculated,” Pajovic believes. According to him, this can negatively influence only the perpetrators.

Commenting on Prime Minister’s statement that leadership of the Parliament needs to make citizens believe in this institution again, Pajovic said that he appreciates the advice of politically experienced people. “However, I do not need anyone telling me what my responsibilities are. The biggest incident happened in the former leadership,” Pajovic said. He said that he would take measures to prevent such situations, and no one should doubt that. Whether he believes that culture of dialogue can find home in the Parliament again - he believes it is possible.

“The President cannot do much to stop primitivism”, Pajovic said. According to him, the most that can be expected from the leadership is to make sanctions for the perpetrators. “Tomorrow I will report those responsible, and I condemn that behavior,” Pajovic said. He will not allow disrespect of the parliament. “I will do my best to succeed,” Pajovic concluded.

 

NATO to extend invitation to Macedonia once name issue is resolved (MIA)

The Warsaw Summit Communiqué issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council reiterates that NATO will extend the invitation to the Republic of Macedonia as soon as mutually acceptable solution to the name issue has been reached within framework of the UN. It also called for reforms in the judiciary and media, as well as the implementation of the Przino Agreement. We reiterate our decision made at the 2008 Bucharest Summit, which we reiterated at subsequent Summits, that NATO will extend an invitation to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to join the Alliance as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue has been reached within the framework of the UN. We therefore strongly urge intensified efforts to find a solution to the name issue. We encourage further efforts to develop good neighborly relations, reads the Communiqué. Today we reaffirm our commitment to the Open Door Policy, a founding principle of the Washington Treaty and one of the Alliance’s great successes. Montenegro’s presence with us today is a tangible demonstration of this, and we look forward to welcoming the country as our next member as soon as possible. Decisions on enlargement are for NATO itself. We remain fully committed to the integration of those countries that aspire to join the Alliance, judging each on its own merits. We encourage those partners who aspire to join the Alliance – Georgia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina – to continue to implement the necessary reforms and decisions to prepare for membership. We will continue to offer support to their efforts and look to them to take the steps necessary to advance their aspirations, reads 110 item of the Communiqué. We also encourage the building of a fully functioning multi­ethnic society based on full implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement. Given concerns over political developments in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which have taken the country further away from NATO values, we urge all political leaders in the country to fully implement their commitments under the Przino Agreement of June/July 2015, as the framework for a sustainable solution to the political crisis. Acknowledging initial steps on implementation, we renew our call to all parties to engage in effective democratic dialogue and to put in place the conditions for credible elections, strengthening the rule of law, media freedom, and judicial independence. We will continue to follow closely Skopje’s progress in these areas, which reflect NATO’s core values. We appreciate the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s commitment to international security, as demonstrated by its steadfast contribution to our operations, its participation in fora and organisations for regional dialogue and cooperation, and its commitment to the NATO accession process, reads 114 item of the Communiqué.

 

Nuland arrives in Macedonia: Strong messages aimed at resolving political crisis (Independent.mk)

The Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State Victoria Nuland is expected to send strong messages to the political leaders in the country. Regardless of her tight schedule, Nuland has decided to hold talks with Macedonian political leaders. She met the leaders of DUI and DPA, Ali Ahmeti and Menduh Thaci at the U.S. Embassy residence. Nuland also held talks with the leader of the largest opposition party Zoran Zaev at SDSM headquarters in Skopje. DUI said in a press release that Ahmeti and Nuland focused on the ways to solve the political crisis in Macedonia and bring Macedonia back on the Euro-Atlantic path. Ahmeti stressed that DUI promoted a constructive solution, voicing optimism for a compromise in the forthcoming period, securing the conditions for credible, democratic elections as soon as possible. DPA leader Thaci told reporters after the meeting with Nuland that now is the time to end the political crisis and reach an agreement for holding elections. Thaci stressed the meeting mainly focused on the strategic guidelines for the way out of the crisis, expecting political leaders to get stricter messages for the crisis settlement. Earlier in the day, Nuland met with Special Prosecutor Katica Janeva and representatives of the civil society.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Serbia to provide EU evidence against steel dumping allegations: gov't (Xinhua, 10 July 2016)

BELGRADE - Serbian government believes that its steel manufacturers did not break anti-dumping rules and it will cooperate with the European Commission (EC) to prove so, government press office announced on Sunday. Serbian government made this statement as an reaction to the recent investigation initiated by The European Steel Association EUROFER.

Press release reads that Serbia will fully cooperate with the EC in relation to the investigation of the alleged dumping price of steel exported to the EU that started on July 7, as a result of EUROFER's complaint lodged on May 23. "We expect to get the complete documentation from the EC, with precise information based on which we will prepare our answer, convinced that manufacturers from Serbia did not break the rules of anti-dumping," government stated in the release. Investigation started by the EC related to alleged dumping of steel from Brazil, Iran, Russia, Ukraine and Serbia took place only a week after Chinese HeSteel officially took over the country's sole steel mill in Smederevo, by paying the agreed price of 46 million euros (51.6 million U.S. dollars) and announcing plans to invest at least 300 million euros (337.6 million dollars) to turn it into one of the most competitive steel mills in Europe. In the period from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 to which the complaints relate, the steel mill was operating under interim management of HPK Engineering, company appointed by the Serbian government to professionally run the steel mill until the buyer shows up. Anti-dumping procedure was started because, according to the complaint submitted to the EC, EUROFER on behalf of producers "provided evidence that imports of the product under investigation from the countries concerned have increased overall in absolute terms and in terms of market share," and that "the volume and the prices of the imported product under investigation have had, among other consequences, a negative impact on the quantities sold, the level of prices charged and the market share held by the Union industry." According to the text of the EUROFER's complaint, the alleged dumping resulted in "substantial effects on the overall performance, the financial situation and the employment situation of the Union industry." However the complaint continues that in case of Serbia in absence of reliable data on domestic prices, the allegation of dumping is based on a comparison of a constructed normal value with the export price of the product under investigation when sold for export to the Union. Press release of the Serbian government reads that the country will provide all necessary information and that it believes that the EC will accept these arguments.

 

Migrants stuck in squalor at Hungary-Serbia border (Irish Times, by Daniel McLaughlin, 10 July 2016)

UN condemns Hungary’s border control measures as Serbian minister voices concern

Refugees and migrants are stuck in growing numbers and deteriorating conditions at a fence on the Hungary-Serbia frontier as relations between states on the so-called Balkan route fray again over border controls. Last autumn, Hungary built fences on its frontiers with Serbia and Croatia to divert migrants and refugees travelling north through the Balkans, but several thousand each month continue to breach the fence or enter legally via “transit zones”; most quickly travel on through the country to Austria, Germany and beyond. As of last Tuesday, however, anyone detained by Hungary’s police within 8km of the border who is found to have entered the country illegally can be returned to Serbia without any legal process. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) and Hungarian Helsinki Committee condemned the measures as a breach of Budapest’s international obligations to people fleeing war and persecution.

Doubled numbers

UN agencies in Serbia now report that, as a result of the new law, the number of refugees and migrants on the Serbian side of the border has doubled over the past few days to more than 1,300, most of them women and children. The UN said that some 800 asylum-seekers are waiting in the open on Serbian territory outside the Hungarian transit zone, “where overall conditions, particularly lack of shelter, health and sanitation represent major challenges”.

Temperatures are now regularly above 30 degrees, and the makeshift camp has few toilets, no bathrooms and only one water tap. People sleep in the open or in plastic tents or shelters made from branches and blankets. The UN agencies and other NGOs have responded by increasing provision of food, water, medical help and other aid to Serbia. But its government has expressed alarm at the rapidly deteriorating situation. Serbia’s work and social affairs minister, Aleksandar Vulin, said he was very concerned that Hungary seemed to “have tried not only to send the migrants to the transit zone, but to return them to Serbian territory, which has no legal grounds in international law”. “We could find ourselves completely alone in solving the migrant crisis,” he said. “Europe is acting like the migrant crisis is over.” More than one million refugees and migrants reached EU states last year via the Balkans, prompting the region’s governments to shut their borders to such travellers in March.

Help crossing

Several thousand still reach Austria and Germany every month, however, often crossing these supposedly closed frontiers with the help of people smugglers. Mr Vulin said that this year Serbia had “registered 102,000 migrants passing through [its territory] . . . That means that the Balkan route still exists.” Large numbers of people could now become trapped in the country, he warned: “Because of closed borders, Serbia may find itself with a problem. Serbia will not allow that.” Until now, Hungary has done little to stop refugees and migrants who reached its territory from moving on to Austria. In response, Austria tightened checks on vehicles arriving from Hungary.

 

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