Serbia, Macedonia vow to prevent asylum-seekers exodus to EU

(SKOPJE) - Macedonia and Serbia will step up their cooperation to prevent an exodus of would-be asylum-seekers to European Union countries, officials said Friday.

"We will investigate together whether there are traces leading to organized crime in this process," Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said here after the talks with his Macedonian counterpart Gordana Jankuloska.

The first 44 failed asylum-seekers, ethnic Albanians from southern Serbia and northern Macedonia, were returned form Belgium on Thursday to their homelands.

Since the European Union lifted visa restrictions for Serbia and neighbouring Macedonia in December, Belgium, as well as Sweden, have seen a sharp rise in political asylum requests from ethnic Albanians from Serbia and Macedonia.

About 409 people from Macedonia and another 400 from Serbia have so far requested political asylum in Belgium, but their requests have been rejected as it turned out they were economic immigrants, the ministers said.

Another 500 or so, mostly Roma and ethnic Albanians, have so far sought asylum in Sweden, Dacic said, adding that the number has decreased in the past weeks after "intensive actions to prevent" such moves.

"We have to give our best to show that Europe should not be afraid of the Western Balkans," Jankuloska said, adding that her ministry would pursue informing the citizens of the consequences they could face if rejected their asylum requests.

The ministers said both countries would investigate whether the tourist agencies selling tickets to would-be immigrants had falsely informed them on possible asylum in Belgium.

Jankuloska promised the agencies which had abused their position would be shut down.