Joint border patrol teams to be commanded by army general

Joint border patrol teams to be commanded by army general

Stefanovic was speaking at a press conference after the Serbian government decided Sunday evening to establish joint police and military forces to prevent illegal entry of migrants crossing into Serbia from Bulgaria and Macedonia and bring to justice people smugglers operating in Serbian territory.

Around 80 percent of the migrants are from Afghanistan, around 10 percent are Syrians, while the rest are from Pakistan and other countries, Stefanovic said.

It is absolutely clear that none of them stand a chance of obtaining asylum in EU member states and they clearly will not be able to do so in Serbia in case they are economic migrants, Stefanovic said.

The police-military teams can help reduce the number of migrants entering the country, Stefanovic said, adding that 1,500 people involved in people smuggling had been arrested over the past two years and that Serbia wanted to send a clear message that such activities would not be tolerated.