The largest number of illegal migrants coming to Serbia and North Macedonia come from EU countries, said Interior Ministers of Serbia Ivica Dacic and North Macedonia Pance Toshkovski who met today in Kumanovo, North Macedonia media reported .
“The whole EU complains that migrants are coming to them from other parts of the world, and we have a specific situation that migrants are coming to us from the EU. More than 50 percent of illegal migrants come from Bulgaria, somewhere around 30 percent come from your country. And when you combine, you actually see that 80-90 percent come from Bulgaria and Greece. So the EU must help us to solve this issue – logistically, organizationally and financially,” TV Channel 5 quoted Dacic as saying.
“Most illegal migrants entering (North) Macedonia are from our southern neighbor Greece. Huge thanks to Frontex, which significantly helps the border police on the southern border and helps a lot”, says the Minister of the Interior of North Macedonia, Panče Toškovski.
The announcement from the Ministry of the Interior of North Macedonia says that at the meeting of the two ministers of internal affairs in Kumanovo, they discussed “ways to improve cooperation between the two ministries, coordination for the participation of a delegation of the Republic of Serbia in a simulation exercise for the exchange of information in real time on migrant smuggling and human trafficking along the Eastern Mediterranean route, which will be held from October 14 to 17 in Ohrid”. The text of the Agreement between the two governments on the establishment of joint “one stop” control of the Tabanovce – Preshevo border crossing was also discussed.
At the meeting, the two ministers also sought a solution “to improve the transit of citizens through the border crossings between the two countries, which are particularly busy during the summer period, when columns of cars form there,” the announcement, quoted by BTA, reads.