Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and his Austrian counterpart Sebastian Kurz on Saturday held talks on the protection of the European Union's external borders, and on that occasion, Plenkovic called for a comprehensible approach to the issue of migrations that will tackle the problem at its source.

“It is important to have an all-inclusive approach that will address the problem at its source, providing assistance, first of all, to Greece, Italy, and Malta, the countries that are the first in contact with central Mediterranean or east Mediterranean routes,” Plenkovic told the press after meeting Chancellor Kurz on the margins of a European Forum conference in Wachau.

“Croatia protects its borders in a quality way, we have invested a lot in technical infrastructure and we have absorbed funds from the EU financial envelope for that purpose very well. More than 6,000 Croatian police officers are engaged in protection of the frontier. It is our duty to equip and train them well so that they can safeguard Croatia against illegal migrations,” Plenkovic said.

He believes that the relations between Turkey and the European Union are crucial for the control of the pace of migrations trends.

After the talks Austrian Chancellor Kurz, Croatian PM Plenkovic attended the Europa-Forum in Wachau, together with prime ministers, Ana Brnabic of Serbia and Dusko Markovic of Montenegro.

The focus of the forum was put on challenges facing the safety and security of the Contitent an the fight against illegal migrations.