Bosnia’s Security Minister told N1 that all the talks of tens of thousands of migrants entering Bosnia are false. No asylum was approved yet because the migrants are treated as economic migrants who cannot get the asylum as such.

“All the stories and manipulations concerning the countless numbers of migrants entering Bosnia are false. You will remember the stories of some 150,000 migrants which are being brought in by someone and all the rubbish concerning this number,” Dragan Mektic told N1. “Not a single asylum was approved so far, because we’re treating them as economic migrants, and as such, they can’t get the asylum.”

According to him, these stories are coming from those politicians who have no answer to the crisis in the semi-autonomous, Serb dominated, Republika Srpska (RS) entity.

Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of two entities, the RS, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, dominated by Bosniaks and Croats, and the District of Brcko, not dominated by any of the three constituent peoples.

“Politicians who have no answers for the situation in the RS are spreading these stories. It’s easier to make up stories than to deal with the migration of people from Bosnia and Herzegovina. That is a far bigger problem. Our youth sees their future in escaping the country,” he stressed.

The Security Minister also noted that three new migrant accommodation centres will be established in the Una-Sana Canton which was hit by the migrant situation the hardest.

“Bihac, Velika Kladusa and Cazin will get three new migrant accommodation centres. Some neighbouring countries have a far bigger number of migrants than we do. But our youth is leaving the country every day. Why aren’t our politicians leaving the country? It’s because they have too many benefits and privileges and they don’t care about the people,” Mektic concluded.