Neighbouring country hermetically closed Schengen border!

Slovakia elected a new government a couple of weeks ago, and Robert Fico, the leader of the Direction – Social Democracy (Smer), who secured victory in the elections with promises of stricter border control, appears committed to his political agenda. He has begun implementing hermetically sealed Schengen borders on the Hungarian border. He claims this is in response to the constant flow of migrants into Slovakia.

According to parameter.sk, Fico’s new Interior Minister, Matúš Šutaj Eštok, intends to attempt the seemingly impossible by imposing strict border closures on the Hungarian-Slovakian border. A local Hungarian online news outlet suggests that Fico himself may detain some illegal migrants at the Hungarian-Slovakian border this week as part of a well-conceived PR campaign.

Previously, Fico talked about security concerns in the wake of the recent Israel-Palestine conflict in the Middle East. He believes that this armed conflict will lead to an unstoppable wave of illegal migration to Europe, which must be intercepted, at least at the Slovakian borders.

Much like PM Viktor Orbán in 2018, Fico’s election campaign focused on illegal migration and how he would protect the Slovakian people from it. Paraméter wrote that the 650-kilometre-long border could not be entirely sealed, even if the entire army and police were stationed there. The news outlet also pointed out that even if authorities expelled illegal migrants to Hungary, they would likely return, similar to the situation in Northern Serbia, where armed gangs frequently challenge local authorities and each other in areas inhabited by indigenous Hungarian communities. The Hungarian government has not issued a statement yet regarding the potential closure of the Hungarian-Slovakian border.

The new Slovak government and Mr Matus:

Slovakian army and police at the border

The Slovakian army and police closed the Hungarian-Slovakian green border at 7 pm yesterday. According to parameter.sk, the Slovakian authorities deployed drones, dogs, horses, thermal cameras, and military vehicles to the border. They even stationed a water cannon at the Rajka border crossing.

According to the Interior Minister, they plan to enhance border control in areas where the highest numbers of migrants have entered in recent months. Hungarian authorities have provided their Slovakian counterparts with this information. Additionally, army units will be dispatched to the border to assist the police. Neither Fico nor his Interior Minister have provided specific numbers, so the extent of the reinforcement remains uncertain.

Fico stressed their intention to discourage the organisers of illegal migration and demonstrate Slovakia’s ability to protect its territory from illegal migrants.

HERE we previously reported on the introduction of Slovakian border control several weeks ago. In THIS article, you can read about another Schengen country, Slovenia, which has taken similar measures.