Situation calm following arrival of asylum seekers to Gabčíkovo

Eighteen asylum seekers from Austria are presently living in the refugee facility in Gabčíkovo and the situation in the village is calm, Gabčíkovo mayor Iván Fenes told viewers of RTVS's discussion show 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday. Fenes added that he learnt that the people had been brought to the village from TV and that he received no official information about their arrival. Turning to the issue of the local referendum on August 2 in which an overwhelming majority of the village's inhabitants opposed the placement of asylum seekers there, Fenes said that this wasn't a waste of time notwithstanding the fact that the asylum seekers have been brought there anyway. "I believe that the concerns of our people are in a way justified, but we're seeking to appease them and we're doing all we can in conjunction with the police to make sure that our citizens feel safe", said Fenes, who added that he's received assurances to this effect from Police Corps President Tibor Gaspar and Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák. The first group of people, mostly men from Syria, who are seeking asylum in Austria, arrived in Gabčíkovo on Thursday. Kaliňák said that Slovakia in the long term views the mandatory distribution of migrants among EU countries as incorrect, but the country is ready to provide temporary shelter to people who are applying for asylum in other countries, like those from Austria.