Slovenia's police has stepped up controls on the border with Croatia because of a growing number of migrants trying to enter the country illegally, the Slovenian Ministry of the Interior said on Thursday.

Control of the green border will be tightened until October 18 and the new regime will be in place in the areas covered by the police departments of Ljubljana, Novo Mesto, Koper, Murska Sobota, Celje and Maribor.

The police said that more than 10,000 illegal entries had been recorded in the first eight months of this year, mostly in the areas of Ljubljana, Novo Mesto and Koper, and migrants’ main goal was to reach Italy.

In monitoring the border, police will be assisted by mounted police and military personnel, as well as by drones and helicopters.

Based on a readmission agreement, this year Italy has sent 682 people back to Slovenia who entered Italy illegally.

Next week, Slovenia will host a meeting of the foreign ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia to discuss the coronavirus pandemic. According to some announcements, the issue of illegal migration and the EU’s asylum policy will also be on the agenda.