TOO EARLY TO SPEAK ABOUT IRANIAN REFUGEES IN SERBIA

BELGRADE, MARCH 12 /SRNA/ - Radoš Đurović, director of the Asylum Protection Centre, said in an interview with SRNA that there are no Iranian war refugees in Serbia, and that it is still too early to speak about a potential refugee wave from that country.

He said that there are Ukrainian refugees in Serbia, as well as 35,000 Russians who need to be integrated into society. He added that around 1,500 migrants from the Middle East pass through the country each month, but that none of them are from Iran. Đurović stated that developments in the Middle East are being closely monitored, but also noted that the war began only recently. "We are monitoring the main factors, but for now, there are no cross-border mass movements between states in the Middle East and Central Asia; rather, this concerns internal displacement of people," Đurović said. He believes it is difficult to imagine a scenario like the one in 2015, when a wave of migrants from the Middle East headed toward Europe through Serbia. Đurović noted that refugees from Iran would have to pass through many stages before reaching Serbia, and that all of this would require a considerable amount of time. "In any case, we are monitoring the situation in Turkey, because it is the last stop before Europe. For us, it is the signal for any potential influx of people," Đurović said. He added that it is important to note that the EU and Turkey cooperate on issues of migration control, and that the Turkish authorities have already developed plans for the possible reception of at least 100,000 people from that region. Regarding the situation with other migrants from the Middle East and Central Asia in Serbia, Đurović said that around 1,500 such people pass through Serbia each month, mostly from Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq, but not from Iran. Đurović stated that several hundred people are currently in state-run centers, which is not a cause for concern, and that these are standard migration movements across the territory of Serbia. "There are several hundred people in the centers, so the numbers are not worrying at this moment. However, Serbia should, in any case, have 10,000 places in reception centers in reserve, while we currently have up to 6,000 places across all centers. At present, only four centers are operational. We must not ignore situations like this. We must have accommodation ready," Đurović emphasized.