Bosnia does not have the means to stop the surge of migrants arriving at its borders, 50.000 of whom are now on the Greece-Bosnia route, said Security Minister, Dragan Mektic.

“If we close the border, it will not solve the problem as in that case they will stay here,” he said.

According to the Minister, the problem lies with where the migrants are coming from.

“All countries must get involved in solving this issue,” the minister said. “We are talking about a serious problem and a route that brings migrants to Bosnia from Turkey, Albania and Montenegro.”

Mektic said the migrants refuse to accept the accommodation provided by the state, such as the centre in Salakovac which can accommodate 150 people, or the accommodation in Delijas.

“They want accommodation in the centre of Sarajevo, at the bus station, as well as at the bus station in Velika Kladusa (a town near the border with Croatia). We can’t accommodate them near the border either, as Croatia objects to that,” he said.

Mektic announced that a plan of urgent action will be completed by the end of the week to tackle the problem, with a focus on accommodating the incoming migrants.