Director of the Agency for Investigation and Protection (SIPA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina Darko Ćulum and Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia Bratislav Gašić agreed during the meeting in Belgrade that the fight against illegal migration is a common issue of all countries that are on the transition route.
Ćulum expressed his belief that the previous successful cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) of Serbia will further improve, it was announced from SIPA.
During the meeting, they discussed the continuation of cooperation in the fight against illegal migration, human trafficking and organized crime.
Gašić emphasized the importance of the joint fight against illegal migration, especially bearing in mind that Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as transit countries, suffer the pressure of mass migration, and added that the cooperation of competent services is key to preserving the safety of the citizens of both countries.
The number of migrants who illegally entered Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first two months of this year is almost 70 percent higher than in the same period last year, warned the director of the Border Police and announced joint activities with Serbia to prevent people smuggling.
The director of the BiH Border Police, Mirko Kuprešaković, met on Tuesday with the assistant director for special operations of the MUP of the Republic of Serbia, General Dejan Luković, with whom he discussed how to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. According to data from two police agencies, smugglers are trying to illegally enter BiH in vehicles and boats across the Drina River.
“Only in the first two months of 2024, the BiH Border Police recorded an increase of almost 70 percent in illegal crossing or attempted illegal crossing of the state border compared to the first two months of last year,” said Kuprešaković.
Earlier it was announced that in the first two months of this year, 3,550 illegal migrants were discovered on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The director of the Border Police expects an additional increase in migratory pressure in the rest of the year.
The police agencies responsible for the security of the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia have announced the strengthening of joint patrols, the raising of cooperation to a higher level, and steps have been agreed with the aim of breaking the chain of illegal transfer of migrants who are trying to reach Croatia and other European Union countries.
