More than 5,000 illegal migrants were reported to the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina since the beginning of the year, nearly all of them expressed intention to seek the asylum but only 437 of them did that, according to the Bosnia’s Security Ministry.

The Security Minister informed the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday about the situation in the sector of migrations and influx of migrants in the country. According to the ministry, of 188 migrants in the refugee centre Salakovac, in the south of the country, the asylum was approved to none.

The ministry said in its information that law enforcement agencies continued providing assistance to the Border Police in the protection of the country’s borders. Also, the ministry said, the Interior Ministries of both Bosnia’s entities, the Republika Srpska and the Federation, would provide their assistance as well.

Accommodation capacities of former barracks “Usivak” in Hadzici, near the Bosnian capital city Sarajevo, will be used to provide shelter to migrants by end of this week, and the centre will be managed by the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs.

Besides the weekly meetings of the operative committee for the issue of migrations, the Security Ministry and the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees are preparing a high-level meeting, which will gather competent ministers of the countries in the region, the European Union representatives as well as representatives of the competent international bodies, to discuss the problem of migrants in the region. The meeting is scheduled to take place on June 7.