Vucic: More illegal migrants this year

TANJUG/ MILOŠ MILIVOJEVIĆ

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday that the number of illegal migrants entering the country from North Macedonia and Bulgaria had increased greatly this year.

Speaking during a tour of the border as part of his visit to Hungary, Vucic said that there were four times more illegal crossings from North Macedonia and almost as many from Bulgaria. He added that the Serbian border authorities prevented some 46,000 illegal crossings from North Macedonia alone this year.

Vucic told a news conference with his Hungarian counterpart Katalin Novak that Belgrade has revoked visa-free regimes with some of the countries that large numbers of migrants came from, including Tunisia, Burundi, Guinea Bisao and India in line with European Union demands.

Novak said that about 90 percent of illegal migrants enter Hungary from Serbia. She voiced hope that the two countries would step up their cooperation.