Ales Hojs, Minister of the Interior of Slovenia. (Photo by Thierry Monas/Getty Images)
The Slovenian Interior Minister Ales Hojs, who currently serves as the EU presidency, said on Thursday that the EU must close its external borders to prevent the wealthy 27 member states from welcoming immigrants.
Speaking at the International Immigration Conference in Sarajevo, Hawes said that the European Minister of Interior has been focusing on the coronavirus pandemic and the immigration crisis. He said that this was a mixed war launched by Belarus against the eastern border of the European Union and the downfall of the Afghan government.
Hawes told reporters:
These three factors have further led to an increase in the number of illegal immigrants flowing to Europe and the Balkans, thus undermining the stability of the European Union.
European countries accused Belarus of flying thousands of migrants from the Middle East and forcing them to try to cross the border illegally. Belarus denies provoking the crisis, but says that if the EU lifts the sanctions imposed after the suppression of protests last year, it can help resolve the crisis.
Hawes compared the current situation with the influx of refugees and migrants in 2015, when the European Union accepted about 1 million people fleeing the war in Syria, but said that there is a big difference now: “There is no longer a’welcome refugee’. “.
He said that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is launching a “hybrid war” and the EU will not allow anyone to use immigrants for political purposes.
Hawes said that the talks with Lukashenko have not yet achieved obvious results, but he believes that when Poland completes the border blockade procedures, the crisis will end in the spring.
“I think it is necessary to ensure the safety of external borders, even with fences when necessary,” Hojs said, adding that he supports an initiative under which the EU should fund the construction of fences on its external borders.
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