From the beginning of 2018 to September of this year, more than 95.000 illegal migrants were recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Minister of Security of BiH Selmo Cikotic said the day before yesterday, at the beginning of the second regional conference “Sarajevo Migration Dialogue”.
The main challenges the country faces when it comes to the migrant crisis are the lack of political will to solve this issue, the chronic lack of financial resources, as well as the lack of manpower and material and technical resources, Cikotic pointed out.
On this occasion, it was also said that an increase in migration can be expected in the coming period, which clearly indicates the need to strengthen cooperation and coordination at the regional level.
The main thematic focus of this meeting is related to the issues of return and readmission to the countries of origin, with the aim of helping to encourage dialogue between regional authorities and the European Union (EU), in order to define the best modalities of handling in this area. It is also necessary to strengthen cooperation between border and security authorities and instructions related to migration in the Western Balkans, the conference participants said.
The speakers stated that a very small number of migrants returning to their countries is a particular problem, and it is precisely this low rate of return at the European level that indicates the need for intensive cooperation and coordination at the regional level in order to establish an efficient and common system for return. A functional return policy is a key element of an effective and orderly migration management policy, it was emphasized during the discussion.
Namely, the conference brought together key officials from the field of migration, asylum, and border management from the region and the EU.
The Ministry of Security of BiH, with the support of the Government of Switzerland and Hilfswerk International, is the organizer of this regional meeting.
