Austrian foreign minister DEFENDS closing 'Balkan route' to migrants
AUSTRIAN'S foreign minister has defended closing borders to migrants trying to reach central and northern Europe.
Austrian Foreign Minister closes the Balkan route
Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz described blocking off the 'Balkan route' as the right move for Austria.
His comments came after he held talks with his Macedonian counterpart, Nikola Poposki, on Sunday.
Sebastian Kurz said the closing of the 'Balkan route' was the right move for Austria
The foreign minister's comments came after talks with his Macedonian counterpart Nikola Poposki
Mr Kurz told reporters that closing borders to deter migrants has become an accepted practice despite initial criticism.
He recently toured a refugee camp in Gevgelija, Macedonia, where he praised the country for helping secure European borders.
Mr Kurz said closing borders has become an accepted practice to deter migrants
He is due to visit a similar camp in the country’s northern border with Serbia.
The 'Balkan route' was closed off in March 2016, closing off a route which over 1 million refugees had travelled through to central and northern Europe.
Around 200 migrants remain stranded in Macedonia.
The 'Balkan route' which over 1 million refugees had travelled through was closed off last year
At the end of last year Mr Kurz said countries who refuse to take back migrants who have failed to make it into European countries should be punished.
He called for tighter borders in the wake of the Berlin terror attack and has proposed a series of sanctions to punish countries that fail to take back migrants.
Mr Kurz, a member of the conservative Austrian People’s Party, says African countries that refuse to co-operate should expect to receive less foreign aid.