He said: “We forced them, by sending people up there”. That left hundreds in limbo and led others to cross into Hungary from Croatia. Some were sent on chaotic trips from Serbia through Croatia, over to Hungary and up to Austria. Austrian soldiers stood alongside.
President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has now said that some 40,000 new refugees could come in the next few days, although this was disputed by Interior Minister Ostojic. He said he didn’t care where in Europe he ended up as long as he could live in peace and find a job.
“This will all help create jobs”, Ghani said.
A man named Abdullah, from Deir al-Zour, Syria, entered Slovenia on Friday night from Croatia.
Refugees and migrants walk on the railway tracks as they wait to pass from the northern Greek village of Idomeni to southern Macedonia, Sunday, September 20, 2015.
The bodies of at least 14 refugees were recovered and another 24 refugees are missing in separate incidents in the Aegean Sea on Sunday.
One migrant spoke to the AP news agency after arriving in the Austrian town of Heiligenkreuz from Hungary.
Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, is the great magnet for the migrants, expecting up to a million asylum seekers this year.
That caused a massive influx of almost 20,000 people over the last few days into Croatia, which could not cope and then began escorting people to the border with Hungary while also blocking its border crossings with Serbia. Dozens of empty, waiting shelters have been torched by arsonists. They appeared exhausted but happy.
Six children were among those who died off the coast of Turkey after the inflatable dinghy carrying them to Greece collided with a ship, Turkish media reported. But many want to get to properous, welcoming countries like Germany and Sweden, rather than stay in Greece or Croatia, and border officials have been too overwhelmed by the number of arrivals to strictly enforce the rules. He said search-and-rescue operations were ongoing.
On Sunday, Hungary reopened its main border crossing with Serbia.
Others raised their arms in joy as they crossed the border, a milestone in their epic journey to safety.
“Hungary has been criticized after its police fired tear gas and water cannon at refugees on the Serbian border”, an Al Jazeera anchor read.
The laws also make it a criminal offence to damage the razor-wire fence.
Pinter said that the pressure of the emergency situation was equal on both countries, and that “this pressure made us find the fastest joint solution”.
The border closure had hampered trade in the region. It has already built a fence along its border with Serbia and is now doing the same along its borders with Croatia and Romania.
Reversing an open-door policy, Croatia on Friday said it was swamped and redirected the migrants back to Hungary.
Austria is a major transit country for immigrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa who are trying to reach Germany and other Western European countries. Hungary’s Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said his country was willing to work with its neighbors.
The fence has deeply strained ties between Hungary and neighboring countries that feel the flow of migrants have been unfairly pushed on them.
Meanwhile, Hungary stood behind its tough response Sunday.
The Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, has said the border is an “unacceptable act” going against the spirit of the European Union.
The foreign ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary are set to discuss the crisis on Monday with their counterpart from Luxemburg, which now holds the European Union presidency.