The migrant crisis is not getting out of hand, but the increased inflow of migrants is causing problems in the country, Bosnia's former Defence Minister Selmo Cikotic told N1, on Monday, adding that the authorities should exhaust all available means before engaging the Armed Forced to protect the border.

“I don't think the situation is changing drastically, nor that we ever had total control over it, but it is definitely not getting out of hand,” Cikotic said, noting that the increased inflow of migrants does cause additional problems for the authorities.

He added that far more functional countries than Bosnia are having problems with the crisis.

According to him, cooperation between institutions and neighbouring states must be raised to a higher level and inside the country, the authorities should use the system of integral management and control of the border.

“This means engaging as many institutions as possible – Border Police, Foreigners’ Affairs Agency, entity and cantonal police agencies, all working together in special circumstances. I think that, had they all been engaged, we wouldn't have so many problems,” Cikotic noted.

When it comes to the use of Bosnia's Armed Forces, Cikotic recalled that there are rules within that institution as well.

“There's an unwritten rule that should one country use its armed forces than the other state must respond equally. We should exhaust all other possibilities, police and state institutions, the Border Police in full capacity and some other agencies capable of helping each other, before calling on the army,” Cikotic said.

Ever since Bulgaria and Hungary imposed the so-called hard border and deployed their armed forces to the border, the so-called “Migrant route” shifter across the territory of Bosnia, in a big to open the way towards the Western European countries.

Last year, 25,000 migrants entered the country while the authorities expect the number to be higher this year.Currently, there are some 9,000 registered migrants residing in the country.