Laura Lungaroti, Head of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for Bosnia and Herzegovina, said today in Banja Luka that Bosnia and Herzegovina is ready for a greater influx of migrants and new migrant challenges.
“There are 4,500 beds in BiH, the capacities of government institutions have also strengthened and they are now more ready to respond to crisis situations, and there is a solution when it comes to the return of migrants to their countries of origin,” Lungaroti told reporters in Banja Luka, where the results were presented within the project “Response to mixed migration flows in the Western Balkans”.
The project started two years ago and was financed by the Embassy of Norway in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as part of it assistance was provided to migrants passing through Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Speaking about migration trends, Lungaroti stated that many more migrants are entering BiH, but many more are also leaving and passing through faster, which means that there are fewer humanitarian problems.
“The problem arises with smuggling and illegal transportation of migrants, and our task is to work with the authorities in BiH to suppress these phenomena,” said Lungaroti, who is also the regional coordinator of the IOM for the Western Balkans.
She stated that, according to announcements from the Embassy of Norway, the project “Response to mixed migration flows in the Western Balkans” will be continued, and the focus will be on Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Deputy Norwegian Ambassador to BiH Sandstand Stefan Almehagen said that this project reflects Norway’s commitment to people on the move, as well as the communities that host them.
“We look forward to continuing to build on these project achievements with the authorities in Republika Srpska and BiH, local communities and civil society organizations, ensuring long-term results in solving mixed migration flows,” said Almehagen.
The Secretary General of the Red Cross of Republika Srpska, Rajko Lazić, said that the Red Cross carries out its mission in accordance with the principles of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, of which it is a member.
He believes that it is necessary to form new mobile teams because migrants have appeared on certain routes that are not covered by mobile teams.
The project “Response to mixed migration flows in the Western Balkans” brings an additional benefit to local communities, because care is taken of the local population.
“At meetings with potential donors, we emphasize the need for certain projects for the needs of the local population,” said Lazić.
