Foreign Policies

Interior Ministry: 222 Illegal Migrants Apprehended on Friday

Bratislava, October 1 (TASR) – A total of 222 illegal migrants were apprehended in Slovakia on Friday (September 30), TASR learnt from Interior Ministry spokesperson Zuzana Eliasova on Saturday.

Eliasova added that the Slovak police have been helping to monitor the situation also in border areas in Hungary.

“We have intensified cooperation between operating forces of Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic in order to eliminate the migrant smuggling. The fact remains that about 80 percent of illegal migrants arrive to Europe via Serbia; there’s been an overall increase in illegal migration in western Balkans by 205 percent,” said Interior Minister Roman Mikulec (OLaNO).

Austria and the Czech Republic have recently reintroduced temporary border checks at their crossings with Slovakia due to the upsurge in illegal migration.

“Slovakia refuses to become a detention camp for migrants deported from the Czech Republic or other countries. We need to find a joint partnership solution at the international level, with an eye towards protecting the Schengen zone border,” said Mikulec.

He added that he plans to convene a working lunch in Bratislava at the level of interior ministers of Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary on Monday (October 3).

ZSSK: New Train Service between Bratislava and Kiev Launched on Sunday

A rail connection between Slovakia and Ukraine is improving, with a new train service from Bratislava to Kiev being launched on Sunday, ZSSK passenger carrier spokesman Dominik Drevicky has informed TASR.

Takac: Police Launch Criminal Investigation, Infested Wood Being Extracted Urgently

The police have already launched a criminal investigation regarding the failure to address the bark-beetle infestation in Banska Bystrica region, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Richard Takac, who filed a criminal complaint in this connection in May, told a news conference on Monday.

SPPK: If Farmers Aren't Taken Seriously, They Will Be Seen in Streets More Often

If farmers' demands are not taken seriously, they will be seen in the streets more often, Slovak Agriculture and Food Chamber chairman Emil Macho told a news conference held in front of the Parliament's building on Thursday.

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