Only well trained and well equipped border police, along with full cooperation of all the countries in the region, can stop the illegal migrant flow, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said in Zagreb on Friday after a meeting with his Albanian counterpart Fatmir Xhafaj.

“Croatia was against barbed wire fences on borders from the first day, because the fences have never stopped anyone,” Bozinovic said, adding that all countries needed to share the burden equally.

He added that the situation on the borders is not the same as the migrant crisis of 2015 and that the influx of migrants is now much smaller.

Albanian Interior Minister Xhafaj said that the two countries cooperate today in a series of challenges, including illegal migrations. Compared to last year, Albania saw an increase in illegal migrations in 2018.

“Our efforts, our two countries’ efforts, are not enough when dealing with the migrant crisis,” he said, adding that help from the European Union was necessary and very important.

Transnational issues can be resolved effectively only in cooperation with others, with our neighbours and internationally, Xhafaj said.

Croatia wants to help Albania in dealing with illegal migrations, because that issue is important for Albania, but also Croatia and the European Union, Bozinovic said.

He added that Croatia would continue to request that the EU provides additional help to border services in countries in the region, including Albania.

Croatia has the strongest border police by far in this part of Europe, soon to count some 6,300 members.

Fight against illegal migrations is a challenge where “the final result we all want, which are completely legal and controlled migrant routes, cannot be achieved without cooperation within a wider and regional frame,” Bozinovic said, answering whether Croatia would request help from the EU in fight against illegal migrations.

Follow N1 via mobile apps for Android | iPhone/iPad | Windows| and social media on Twitter | Facebook.