ROME, Jan 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Italian Ministry of Interior announced that the country would extend border control measures with Slovenia until next June for the reason of preventing the risk of terrorists blending in with the flow of migrants through the country. Balkan route into Northern Europe.
In October last year, Italy temporarily suspended the Schengen Agreement on free movement within the European Union (EU), and reactivated border control measures with Slovenia amid rising tensions. in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
The latest statement from the above ministry said that border control measures with Slovenia will be extended for 5 months, from January 19. Border checks will be carried out in the spirit of ensuring to minimize the impact on people’s travel activities as well as the transport of goods.
Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar said stricter checks recently introduced to stop suspected Islamist militants were “unacceptable.”
The above decision was made a day after Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi had a meeting with his Slovenian and Croatian counterparts to discuss migration issues and security threats on the Balkan route.
According to the Italian Ministry of Interior, among the 160,000 illegal migrants checked by the police, the authorities discovered more than 1,600 suspicious subjects at the Italy-Slovenia border.
Minister Piantedosi’s office said that through security checks, authorities arrested 76 people, including 52 people charged with aiding and abetting illegal immigration. — NNN-AGENCIES
