Balkan route remains permanently closed to refugees

The Balkan refugee route, the main passage for migrants to northern European countries, will remain permanently closed, said Austrian Minister of Interior Johanna Mikl-Leitner for the German newspaper Die Welt, reports the Patria News Agency.

On Wednesday, Macedonia closed its border with Greece to illegal migrants, after Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia announced strict measures for the entry of migrants.

"My position is clear: the Balkan route remains closed, and permanently," Mikl-Leitner told the newspaper.

She added that such a clear and firm signal will deter migrants from crossing from Turkey to European shores.
She believes that such a decision makes a decisive contribution to preserving stability and order for people in Europe.

The so-called Balkan migrant route, through which more than a million migrants entered Europe in recent months, has been closed since midnight on Wednesday, and countries along it will only allow migrants who seek asylum or have valid documents, writes Index.