17.07.2017.
The challenges of the migrant crisis
Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin met with the Executive Director of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX), Fabrice Leggeri, to discuss the political and security situation in the West Balkans, focusing on the migrant crisis.
The meeting's participants assessed that the security situation in the region was relatively stable, but disturbing tension existed, while the migrant crisis was described as a key topic that exceeded national borders and required a comprehensive and lasting approach. It is about the phenomenon and challenge that the contemporary world faces which showed the interconnection among the spatially very remote regions, Vulin said, and stressed that, therefore, the response to the migrant crisis must be shared.He pointed out that since the outbreak of the migrant crisis, around one million migrants had passed through Serbia, and although not a EU member country, but only a candidate, Serbia acts as a responsible member of the international community and as such we are ready to be part of a lasting solution:
- Although it is only a transit country, Serbia wants to be part of the solution within the European framework, but it primarily takes care of its own national interests and their protection, the Minister of Defence said and added that the Government of the Republic of Serbia is investing enormous efforts to "reconcile" the national security of the country with the needs of the migrants, not allowing the burden of the crisis to be transferred to the neighbours. In doing so, we are taking our share of the burden and responsibility and we strive to ensure that all migrants are treated in a humane way, unlike some countries that are financially far richer.
Vulin stressed that the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces took over a great deal of responsibility, providing strong support to mitigating the effects of the migrant crisis to other state bodies, especially bearing in mind the enormous efforts invested in reinforced border control and the prevention of criminal activities of smugglers and traffickers.The Minister of Defense said that since the engagement of the joint military and police forces, the illegal entry had been prevented of some 21,000 migrants and that Serbia was accommodating some 6,000 migrants, mainly from Afghanistan. Since we had not signed a bilateral agreement with that country, he asked from his interlocutor FRONTEX's assistance in the matter.
Leggeri introduced to the Minister of Defence FRONTEX's new liaison officer for the West Balkans, Vesna Marinković, and informed him about the scope of work of FRONTEX, its expanded competencies and the new structure, as well as with the previous activities and future plans for solving the migrant crisis.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency has been established by the decisions of the European Parliament and the European Council since September 2016. Its basic mission is to promote, coordinate and develop the EU Border Management System, while its main function is to assist the EU border authorities in their joint work.
