July 18 (SeeNews) - Serbia's government adopted late on Sunday a decision to form combined police-military teams to jointly prevent the illegal entry of migrants from Bulgaria and Macedonia, and to bring to justice human traffickers operating on Serbian soil.
Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has declined to reveal the size of the joint army and police forces, but said they would be sufficient to ensure border security, primarily toward Bulgaria and Macedonia, from where most migrants come in.
Vucic noted that no force will be used against the migrants, but that people smugglers will be treated strictly and according to the law. The smugglers' vehicles and money made from the crime will be seized.
Rados Djurovic, director of the Serbian Center for Protection and Assistance to Asylum Seekers, told the national television on Monday that the country currently hosts about 2,000 migrants and that there is no reason for concern right now, but that there might be if a larger number of migrants became "stuck" in Serbia.
He specified that some 5,000 refugees had filed for asylum since the beginning of the year, and that 150,000 had passed through Serbia on their way to western Europe.