Ombudsman: Migrants Well Received in Serbia

Serbia Awaiting New Wave of Refugees: Belgrade Increasingly Nervous

According to Ombudsman Zoran Pasalic, Serbia is currently hosting over 5,000 migrants, most of whom are housed in reception and asylum centers. All of them have access to health care and schools have prepared a special curriculum for their children, he added.

On the occasion of International Refugee Day, observed on June 20, Pasalic issued a written statement saying that “except for occasional incidents” all refugees coming from the East have been “well received” in Serbia.

“In the region, Europe and even wider, Serbia is a country that has the most experience with refugees given that in the past 30 years it has been a place of shelter for over 500,000 Serbs and other national minorities’ members which had to leave Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo and Metohija. All of this has made us feel greater solidarity with the refugees that have been coming to Serbia from North Africa and the Middle East since 2015,” Pasalic said.

He added that the refugees and migrants are in a difficult position as they have no IDs or money, or any knowledge of the language and customs of the country they are staying in. Women and unaccompanied minors are especially at risk, Pasalic said and pointed out that Serbia has provided them with all the necessities for a temporary stay “observing the highest international standards and demonstrating a high level of understanding and solidarity.”