No major incidents or disturbances of public order related to irregular immigration have been observed at the Slovak-Hungarian border so far, Prime Minister Ludovit Odor said during his visit to a border crossing point near the village of Chlaba in Nitra region on Saturday. Odor remarked that the most effective solution to the issue of increased irregular migration would be to stop migrants at the external border of the Schengen area, which would be the Serbian-Hungarian border in Slovakia's case.
Although this is a short border and a high number of border guards are deployed there, including those from Slovakia, migrants are still finding ways to cross it, noted Odor. "And then migrants reach the Slovak-Hungarian border. Joint Slovak-Hungarian patrols are deployed in Komarno district to intercept migrants before they cross into Slovakia," he claimed, adding that it's impossible to hermetically seal Slovakia's southern border to prevent any migrants from entering the country. "We must use our resources effectively," stressed the Premier.
According to Odor, the police are trying to improve the sense of security among the public. "We understand that even though Slovakia is a transit country for migrants, this new experience may cause a feeling of fear among some. This is why the police presence is necessary so that people feel that the state continues to care with the maximum possible intensity," he said.
On this note, Odor lambasted the reluctance of some MPs to launch a special parliamentary session to discuss a government bill that would scrap the mandatory granting of short-term residency certificate to foreigners in Slovakia earlier this week. The Premier claimed that the government won't attempt to adopt any further measures in this area.
(TASR)
