Foreign embassies in Bosnia and Herzegovina called upon authorities at all levels on Friday not to politicize the migration issue and to work together to effectively address security, humanitarian and other challenges related to the influx of migrants to the country.

“In light of today’s incident, we call upon Bosnia’s authorities at all levels to support and cooperate with the state-government in the exercise of its constitutional responsibility for “migration, refugee and asylum policy and regulation.” We hope today’s event will turn into an opportunity to develop more efficient coordination methods to deal with the current migration crisis,” said the embassies.

A convoy carrying nearly 300 migrants departed on Friday morning from Sarajevo to the refugee centre Salakovac, in the south of the country. Local police prevented the convoy from entering the territory of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNC) for a few hours, causing unrest among the migrants and triggering a series of reactions of the state-level officials, who initially ordered the transfer.

The joint statement signed by the embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the UK, the USA, the European Delegation/EU Special Representative and the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia urged the authorities to ensure that migrants receive appropriate accommodation and care, and be treated humanely and with dignity.

“The international community will continue assisting Bosnia’s authorities in their efforts to effectively manage migration-related challenges,” the embassies said.