Slovenia reintroduced temporary border controls on its borders with Croatia and Hungary on October 21.Continue reading
Slovakia is deploying a significant police force to control the Slovak-Hungarian green border, Hlavné správy reports. This was announced by Prime Minister Robert Fico and Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok on Monday. The operation has already started on Monday evening. The interior minister also called for an extraordinary security council to deal with illegal migration.
The ministers drew attention to the situation in the Gaza Strip and possible security threats. “People need to live both more peacefully and more securely in light of what is happening in the world,” the Prime Minister stressed. “Illegal migration, if left uncontrolled, can bring in ‘glitches’ who are linked to terrorist networks,” he added. He noted that the Ministry of the Interior and the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic are deploying “quite a large number of forces and equipment” along the entire green border with Hungary.
“Slovakia is ready to deal with illegal migration,” said Robert Fico, adding that
they are cooperating with the Hungarian authorities in the operation targeting illegal migrants and are planning a visit to Hungary in the near future to discuss future management of the situation and cooperation.
Photo: Facebook/Polícia Slovenskej republiky
The interior minister also stressed the importance of cooperation with the Hungarian authorities, and said that the current operation is a clear signal to illegal migrants and people smugglers that the new government is putting an end to a period when they were “free to come into the country.” He pointed out that 5,000 illegal migrants entered the country last year and almost ten times that number so far this year.
He warned that this is a dangerous increase, especially given that recent information and events on the Balkan migration route show a link between people smugglers and certain terrorist groups.
He stressed their aim to ensure the full protection of the green border. The ministry plans to deploy massive personnel and technical support for this. He stated that the situation in the world is extremely serious, and they expect a large wave of illegal migration, which is why he has asked for a security council to be convened. As he said, the situation cannot be underestimated.
Via Hlavné správy, MTI; Featured image: Facebook/Polícia Slovenskej republiky