All change with the border policy, as Croatia raises its alert level.
Croatian Interior Minister Ranko Ostojić said that people should always be cautious when it comes to terrorism, and that Croatia is on high alert. “We must always be vigilant. I have never said there is no terrorist threat for Croatia. We are on high alert”, Ostojić said, answering the question about what is being done to prevent danger from Bosnia and Herzegovina, where two army members were killed by an alleged member of extreme Islamist movement. “Every act of terrorism, be it in Bosnia and Herzegovina or anywhere else, is actually an attack on our lives. Croatia is a country that is part of the anti-terrorist coalition and has to be prepared. We must look beyond our borders and work together with security services of other countries and exchange information with them”, Ostojić added, reports Vecernji List on November 20, 2015.
He said that, after the terrorist attack in Paris, today he will participate at the meeting of European interior and justice ministers in Brussels, with the aim of strengthening controls at the external borders of the EU. “This does not apply only to the Schengen Area, but also to the activities in Greece.”
Yesterday, Croatia stopped accepting migrants from Morocco, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Sudan and other countries which are not involved in armed conflicts. It has also rejected a request made by Slovenia to accept 162 economic migrants back to Croatia. A notice that migrants from countries which are not affected by wars can no longer pass through the Balkan route has been immediately sent to Macedonia and Serbia. “We want to prevent the danger of a possible big comeback wave of economic migrants. We cannot allow for Croatia to be overburdened with migrants”, Ostojić added.
“These people cannot receive international protection. We have not accepted Slovenia’s request, but we have immediately informed our colleagues in Macedonia and Serbia that the citizens of these countries will no longer be able to pass through Croatia”, he explained.
Slovenia has stopped admitting foreign nationals suspected of being economic migrants rather than refugees fleeing from war-torn parts of the Middle East. Serbia has also closed its borders to all migrants who are not refugees from the conflict zones. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that Macedonia and Serbia have blocked passage for migrants who do not come from war-torn areas of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Serbian Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Aleksandar Vulin said that Serbia’s borders are now closed for economic migrants. “We must protect our country and that is why we have applied reciprocal measures against migrants whom Croatia and Slovenia do not want to accept. We will not allow entry into Serbia to anyone who cannot continue with their journey”, Vulin said.
From midnight to 21 pm on Thursday, 4,172 refugees entered Croatia. Since the beginning of the migration crisis, 419,094 migrants and refugees have passed through Croatia.
