PRESEVO: ACCOMMODATION FOR 1, 000 MIGRANTS PER DAY

9. November 2015.

Presevo – Aleksandar Vulin, Minister of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Issues, said that it would be possible, during winter, to temporarily accommodate up to 1,000 migrants per day in the halls that were being renovated in Presevo.

He said that the renovation of the halls of the former tobacco industry, which are within the Reception Centre for Migrants, would be completed within the next ten days or so.

“Not only will they be able to get accommodated in and pass through Presevo, but they will also be able to spend a night there. Upon completion of works, the capacity of the facility will increase manifold. So, we fulfilled the undertaken commitments, but we also expect the financial assistance, which ought to be provided by donors, to be greater and reach us faster, so that we could expand our temporary accommodation capacities. These people aren’t here to stay, and they aren’t here to freeze with their children, either", said Minister Vulin, who is also the Chairman of the Working Group for Solving the Problem of Mixed Migration Flows.

According to the records of the Red Cross and the Commissariat for Refugees and IDPs, fewer migrants arrived in Presevo over the last three days compared to a few weeks ago.

Around 1, 500 migrants were registered at the Reception Center in Presevo from Friday afternoon until Saturday morning. The smaller influx of migrants was caused by a strike of Greek sailors, so that migrants couldn’t be transferred from the islands to the mainland.

“The influx of migrants was slightly lower due to a strike, but the strike stopped and at the end of the weekend, so that we are now expecting the arrival of larger groups of migrants and we ‘ll be ready to receive them too", said Minister Vulin.

Representatives of the Red Cross and the Commissariat for Refugees say they are also ready to receive a larger number of migrants.

In addition to renovating the new halls for the reception of migrants, works on the construction of the access road, which is next to the railway station, are in progress. In two weeks, when the road is completed, migrants won’t have to stand in line along the main street any more.

Source: Radio and Television of Vojvodina, TV Studio B, Radio and Television of Serbia – Channel One and Coordination Body