Today, the President of the Republic of Macedonia, Dr. Gjorge Ivanov had a telephone conversation with the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mrs. Angela Merkel.

The two interlocutors exchanged opinions on the latest developments and situation regarding the migrant and refugee crisis following the decision to close the Balkan corridor.

President Ivanov informed the German Chancellor about the incident that happened on March 14, 2016 at the southern border line and the attempt for entry by an uncontrolled number of migrants and foreign citizens on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia.

Both interlocutors condemned the incident, with Chancellor Merkel expressing her support for the fight against illegal migration and agreeing that migrants and refugees must leave the improvised camp in Idomeni. In that context, Merkel underlined that attempts for illegal crossing of the border must stop, same as the encouragement of illegal migration.

President Ivanov informed Chancellor Merkel that the Macedonian security forces realized a successful, timely and responsible reaction without any use of force, and asked for an urgent halt to the practice of bringing an additional number of migrants who would then set up camps on the very border line of the Republic of Macedonia.

The Macedonian President stated that the Republic of Macedonia will observe the decision on the closure of the Balkan corridor for illegal crossings, and that Macedonian law enforcement authorities will continue handling the refugee crisis in a responsible and professional manner, taking into account the responsibility for humane treatment of refugees. In this context, the Macedonian President renewed the invitation to the German Federal Border Police to be part of the EU police contingent at the southern and northern border.

President Ivanov stated that the Republic of Macedonia will continue to take all measures and activities in order to prevent eventual attempts for illegal entry.

In function of efficient handling of the threat from illegal migration, President Ivanov reaffirmed his request for stronger political support by the EU and an increased logistical support by the European Commission, as well as the requests for border protection and migrant registration equipment. At the same time, the Macedonian President underlined the need for improving mutual cooperation between intelligence services in terms of threats and risks, by granting the countries along the transit corridor access to the databases of the Union.

During the conversation, the President and the Chancellor exchanged opinions on the possible solutions for migrants and refugees who are currently stranded on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia and in the other countries of the Balkan corridor, as well as on the possibilities to establish a mechanism for legal migration between the EU and the Western Balkan countries.

They welcomed the agreement between the EU and Turkey and expressed hope that it will be fully implemented, thus providing positive results in the process of handling the migration crisis.