German Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer strongly supported Croatia’s joining the Schengen Area on Friday in Berlin, during a meeting with Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic.

The main topic of the meeting were the migration routes across the Western Balkans, German Interior Ministry said in a press release.

“We must to everything in our power to effectively protect our outer borders, prevent illegal migrations and ensure more security in the EU. Combating illegal migration is at the centre of our cooperation,” Seehofer said.

He added that both ministers agreed to continue with a good bilateral cooperation.

“We have fully agreed that improving security in Europe is the most concrete contribution to the EU project at this point in time,” Bozinovic told the Croatian news agency Hina.

Preventing illegal entry is exceptionally important to Croatia, as the European Union member with a long outer border with the neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina, the German Ministry said.

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