Serbia PM "shocked" by Hungary's plan to erect border fence

PanARMENIAN.Net - Serbia's prime minister has said he is "shocked" by Hungary's plan to erect a border fence to keep out migrants, BBC News reports.

Aleksandar Vucic said the four-metre (13ft) fence was "not the solution" to migrants entering Hungary from Serbia.

Hungarian authorities announced the plan on Wednesday, June 17 saying the wall would run the length of the 175km (109-mile) border between the countries.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Hungary could not wait for the EU to find a solution to immigration.

Speaking on TV during a visit to Oslo, Vucic said: "I am surprised and shocked. We will discuss this decision with our Hungarian colleagues.

"Building walls is not the solution. Serbia can't be responsible for the situation created by the migrants, we are just a transit country. Is Serbia responsible for the crisis in Syria?"

Vucic said he intended to discuss the move with Serbia's partners in the EU.

There was also criticism from the Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner Nils Muiznieks, who described the planned fence as "ill-advised."

There has been a sharp rise in the number of migrants and asylum seekers entering Hungary in 2015.

The government said about 54,000 migrants entered the country so far this year, compared to 43,000 people in 2014.