...as Hungary calls up its reservists to patrol fences
HUNGARY has called up military reservists to help deal with the migrant crisis.
It is thought some of the reservists will be asked to patrol Hungary’s southern border fence with Serbia as the country’s army is stretched to its limit.
The move came as the Hungarian army sent armoured vehicles to its border with Croatia, where thousands of people were stranded.
Three Hungarian army vehicles with gun turrets could be seen parked over the border from the Croatian town of Baranjsko Petrovo Selo.
The latest escalation came as the relationships between Hungary and its neighbours Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia deteriorated. A Hungarian government spokesman said Croatia had let Hungary and the European Union down by failing to defend its border and sending buses and trains over their joint border. Hungary warned it might block Croatia’s access to Europe’s Schengen zone of passport-free travel.
‘Instead of honestly making provision for the immigrants, it sent them straight to Hungary. What kind of European solidarity is this?’ asked Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.
He said Hungary would speed up building the fence ‘where necessary’ along its Croatian border. Croatia said some of its border crossings remained open but that it had been forced to close others because of the sheer volume of migrants.
It said the weight of numbers – particularly since Hungary sealed its border with Serbia – meant its only option was to allow the migrants to pass through, and called for a unified EU response.