Radončić: We cannot accept another 10,000 migrants, the EU cannot sacrifice us

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Regarding media reports that, due to the uncontrolled entry of illegal migrants from the Republic of Turkey into the EU, our country is expected to accept as many as 10,000 migrants, our public and European partners should know that this is too much for Bosnia and Herzegovina, its citizens, and its security, humanitarian, and accommodation capacities, stated the Minister of Security of BiH Fahrudin Radončić.

"I have previously informed all ambassadors of European countries in BiH that we are already experiencing extreme difficulty coping with a figure of around 5,000 illegal migrants. I did not even want to discuss accepting a quota of 10,000 migrants, which, admittedly, happened before the latest escalation. I informed Mr. Izetbegović and Mr. Komšić about this when signing the Declaration. Some of our cantons are already too tired of the burden of intercontinental population displacement falling on them. Not to mention that since the first migrant crisis in 2015, nothing has been done systematically in Bosnia and Herzegovina to draw lessons, innovate laws, increase budgets, hire a much larger number of border police officers, and do more to enable BiH to take full sovereignty over the management of the migrant crisis in its security and humanitarian aspects. Regardless of the fact that someone slept through their ministerial mandates, the EU must not sacrifice our country and neighboring countries and try to create a mass space in BiH for the subtle selection and passage of able-bodied migrants who, as labor, are needed by certain EU countries, from the unqualified, sick, and those with problematic criminal or radical pasts, whom human traffickers ultimately want to leave to us," said Radončić.

We will squeeze water from stone to mobilize the maximum number of domestic police officers from an already insufficient number to cope with the crisis, the minister stated, adding that we also expect and initiate regional cooperation, but everyone in the EU and the region must understand that they have to take their share of security and humanitarian responsibility.

"Because, poor BiH cannot do it alone. And, finally, let no one, neither outside BiH nor within it, harbor the illusion that we will allow everything to fall on the shoulders of cantons where Bosniaks are the majority or only on one entity. Especially those who completely unnecessarily blocked Frontex, whose assistance, like that of the IOM, would be invaluable to us now," concluded Radončić.