MOSCOW (Sputnik), Anastasia Levchenko — Earlier on Friday, Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic announced that the country was no longer capable of registering or housing refugees.
The Croatian interior minister previously said that the country was looking at closing the border with Serbia, and the country’s president had already asked the army to stand ready to protect the national borders from illegal migration.
"What Croatia is doing is not in line with the international obligations of Croatia. According to the Geneva Convention, refugees cannot be returned or reported to any country that can be dangerous for them. And if we know that Serbia does not recognize almost any refugees, then it cannot be considered as a safe country," OPU Director Martin Rozumek said.
Rozumek emphasized that Croatia was therefore obliged to fulfill the asylum procedures.
A Hungarian court is currently reviewing the case might also recognize the present policy as a breach of international law.
Once the Croatian authorities have ensured that the country is respecting international law, the European Union should help its newest member to cope with the influx of refugees, Rozumek advised.
"If they allow people to enter, it will be certainly necessary that the EU helps them to open new camps and facilities, provide accommodation and take proper care of refugees in transit zones," he said.
More than 14,000 migrants have arrived in just two days, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic declared on Friday, making note of the scale of the problem in relation to Croatia's population of just 4.2 million. During a press conference in Zagreb, Milanovic said it was time for Croatia to switch to Plan B, which would involve transferring the refugees to the borders of neighboring countries.
