Foreign Minister Miro Cerar proposed in Brussels on Monday to his Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi joint police patrols on the border with Italy to prevent illegal migration. He said he thus wanted to show to Italy that Slovenia wanted to strengthen mutual trust.
Border controls within the Schengen zone are unacceptable for Slovenia, because they go against the European ideas of connectivity and freedom, so Slovenia thinks the issues of security and migration should be tackled together. Thus, border checks on the internal Schengen borders will not be necessary, the minister said.
According to him, the Italian foreign minister welcomed the initiative, which will now be presented to both countries’ interior ministers, while police commissioners of both countries are expected to discuss it in a few days.
Cerar would like the joint police patrols to be set up as soon as possible, so as to send a clear signal to the “criminals who encourage the illegal migration”.
Source: STA