Turkish, Serbian police hold 125 irregular migrants at Croatia border

BELGRADE, Serbia

Turkish police in a joint border duty with Serbian authorities on the Croatian border reportedly caught 125 irregular migrants trying to illegally cross into EU countries.

According to a statement by the Turkish Embassy in Belgrade, over the past 40 days, a total of 125 migrants who illegally entered Turkish cargo trucks have been held.

The statement said the migrants were handed over to Serbian judicial institutions.

It was pointed out that the trucks with Turkish license plates are checked with great precision, and more than 5,000 Turkish citizens have been assisted at the borders in the last 40 days.

Turkey's Ambassador to Belgrade Hami Aksoy told Anadolu Agency that there was a rise in the number of irregular migrants held, thanks to the Turkish police working on the Serbian border.

"I congratulate our police officers working at the border. The project continues with great success. Serbian authorities are also very satisfied with this project," said Aksoy.

In February 2019, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and then-Serbian counterpart Nebojsa Stefanovic agreed on a project called Road to Home (Sila Yolu) to deploy Turkish police to the border crossings in Serbia where Turkish citizens use intensely.

Since the beginning of the project, the Turkish police, working with the Serbian police, have been intervening in illegal crossings of irregular migrants in or under truck trailers, capturing dozens.