Orban suggested that Faymann opposed the idea of opening up a transit corridor for migrants from the Hungarian-Croatian border toward Austria and Germany.
Advertisement
In a press meeting, Orban told reporters their talks were productive. Austrian officials have been critical of Hungary’s border fences, saying they damaged bilateral relations.
The arrival of the refugees, many abandoning refugee camps in Turkey, Jordan or Lebanon after three years or more, has stirred sharp disagreement between countries on how to process and accommodate them.
Tensions escalated between Serbia and Croatia on Thursday as the longtime rivals struggled to come up with a coherent way to deal with tens of thousands of migrants streaming through the Balkan nations to seek sanctuary in other parts of Europe.
Despite steps that should eventually ease the chaos, the sheer number of people flooding into Croatia strained the resources of one of the European Union’s poorest nations.
Following the European summit on the crisis on Wednesday night, Hungary has announced the removal of razor wire from a section of its border with Slovenia while the border between Croatia and Serbia has reopened. “They gave us some food there, and we made a fire, but in the end we just walked here”, said Hamou Halebi from Aleppo in Syria, as he hugged a grey blanket to his shoulders and waited to enter Opatovac.
However with hardline Hungary planning to seal the border with Croatia too, there is speculation that people might carve out a new so-called southern route through Montenegro.
A 3.5-metre-high steel fence built along its border with Serbia and the government’s tough clampdown on illegal migration have reduced the flow of refugees into Hungary from Serbia border to a trickle. “I was cold”, said 20-year-old Bashir Ahmad from Afghanistan.
Thousands were stranded at the border in the Croatian village of Strosinci, where Croatian authorities said they had been dropped by Serb buses.
Brussels and the strongest European power centers are “strongly pressing Zagreb to open border crossings with Serbia”, according to a Belgrade daily.
Refugees from Syria, Iraq and other war-ruined countries continue influx to Croatia from Serbia despite Croatia closed all of its border crossings with the neighbouring country.
Asked if Europe should prepare for millions more migrants, he said: “If it happens that in a few months you have a over half a million, it could certainly happen”. We can function with 4,000 to 5,000 people a day.
Serbia decided to close entrance to the country in reaction to the Croatia’s decision by preventing trucks with Croatian vehicle plates to enter Serbia but allowing passenger cars and buses.
In a visit to the camp, Ranko Ostojic, Croatia’s interior minister cited the Strosinci crossing as being particularly problematic.
The Serbian Prime Minister and Commissioner Hahn also discussed the ways in which Serbia was trying to deal with the large influx.
Advertisement
Meanwhile the wealthier countries of northern Europe are starting to push back some of the thousands of people who have crossed their borders, reasserting the principle that refugees must request asylum at the point where they enter the 28-nation bloc, one of Hungary’s central demands.
