Serbia, Macedonia limit entry of refugees by nationality

“Slovenia asked us for the re-admission of 162 people”.

Labor and Social Affairs Minister Aleksandar Vulin said on Thursday the border was closed to economic migrants, that is, “the migrants coming from countries that Croatia and Slovenia have decided could not enjoy their hospitality”. Turkey and Greece have agreed to cooperate to prevent the “human tragedy” suffered by thousands of migrants who risk lives crossing the Aegean Sea on their way to Europe.

At Serbia’s frontier with Croatia, Reuters reported that a few 400 people were denied access to a train and were halted by Croatian police as they tried to cross the border through fields.

Aleksandra Kraus, a UNHCR spokeswoman in Macedonia, said Thursday that Macedonian authorities had begun allowing only people from warzones to enter the country because Serbian authorities had imposed the same criteria on those attempting to cross the Macedonian-Serbian border.

“They will turn back all others on the basis they are economic migrants”, the official said.

“We must protect our country and that is why we have undertaken reciprocal measures towards those for whom Slovenia and Croatia consider there is no place”, he said.

Ms Sunjic said Macedonia was also barring asylum seekers from certain countries including Liberia, Morocco, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Sudan.

Jasmin Redzepi, president of Macedonian NGO LEGIS whose activists have been helping refugees and migrants at the border with Greece, told AFP by telephone that Macedonia was also allowing only Iraqis, Afghans and Syrians into the country.

A police spokesman in European Union member Slovenia confirmed Ljubljana would start returning “economic migrants” arriving through neighbouring Croatia, saying it could only grant passage to those “from countries where there are armed battles”.

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