Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic reacted furiously to Croatia's decision to close a border crossing between the two countries due to the tens of thousands of refugees and migrants who have flowed into Croatia in recent weeks.
"Due to the unilateral sanctions that the government of the Republic of Croatia has put in place against the Republic of Serbia, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has ordered an emergency government meeting for 2.30 pm Tuesday," the Serbian television station RTS reported on Monday.
At a press conference called on Monday, Vucic accused Croatia of "breaking a number of bilateral and international agreements" by stopping trucks and vans from Serbia from traveling into Croatia.
Croatia began closing border crossings with Serbia last week after more than 30,000 migrants and refugees crossed into the country in recent weeks.
On Monday the Croatian authorities closed the last remaining border crossing between the two countries, at Bajakovo-Batrovci, to commercial vehicles coming from Serbia, causing even ordinary traffic to sit in a queue ten kilometers long.
"Croatia has behaved irresponsibly by stopping freight traffic, and as far as that continues, we will have to take countermeasures, which will affect Croatia more than they affect us."
"Their reply is like something out of the twilight zone: send half to Hungary, half to us and we'll open the border."
"We are waiting until 2 pm for the European Commission to respond, because that's their job, and Serbia will react, peacefully, without breaking any regulations." said Vucic.
"We will show Croatia that it can't mock and humiliate Serbia, and destroy the Serbian economy without consequences."
"I recommend they lower their tone," responded Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, whose government has accused Serbia of purposefully transporting tens of thousands of migrants to their shared border...
[Sputnik]
22/9/15
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Serbia threatens retaliation over Croatia truck blockade...
ReplyDeleteSerbia threatened to retaliate after neighbor Croatia halted all cargo traffic from Serbia following an influx of migrants over their joint border.
More than 30,000 migrants, many of them Syrian refugees, have entered Croatia from Serbia since Tuesday last week, when Hungary barred their entry to the European Union over its southern border with Serbia with a metal fence.
Croatia has said it cannot cope with the numbers; a new crossing point emerged overnight at the Croatian village of Bapska, with hundreds seen walking through rolling hills to a camp Croatia has opened for migrants while authorities organize their transport north to Hungary or west to Slovenia.........REUTERS
Croatia, Serbia restore key border crossing traffic...
ReplyDeleteTraffic began flowing through the major Serbia-Croatia border crossing at Bajakovo on Wednesday after a two-day blockade imposed to stem the flow of migrants across the two ex-Yugoslav republics' frontier.
The reopening should help ease tensions between the two former Balkan war adversaries that flared up as they struggled to cope with a steady flow of migrants, transiting the region en route to northern and western Europe in the past week.......Reuters..........todayonline.com
Serbia Bans Croatian Cargo Vehicles in Response to Border Blockade...
ReplyDeleteSerbia has forbidden the entry of Croatian cargo vehicles in response to Croatia’s border blockade, imposed amid a massive influx of refugees, Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic announced.
Stefanovic told reporters on Wednesday as quoted by RT that Serbian police will "not allow the entry through any border crossing any cargo vehicle registered in Croatia, nor any truck carrying goods made in Croatia."
Last week, Croatia closed traffic on seven of its eight land border crossings with neighbouring Serbia, announcing that it could not handle any more refugees.....http://sptnkne.ws/NjB