News / EU

Macedonia says accepts refugees only from war-stricken cities

Sunday, 06 March 2016 5:28 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 06 March 2016 5:26 PM ]

Two refugees stand next to a razor-topped fence close to the gate at the Greek-Macedonian border near the Greek village of Idomeni, on March 6, 2016.

Macedonia has imposed new restrictions on allowing refugees in, saying only refugees from cities that are at war can get into the country.

Greek police officials said on Sunday that Macedonia imposed the new limitation earlier in the day.

Under the new limitation, Syrians from the northern city of Aleppo can cross Greek border into Macedonia but people from Damascus or the Iraqi capital Baghdad are not defined as eligible refugees and cannot enter the Balkan state.

The restriction was the latest move by the Macedonian government in curbing the flow of refugees into the country. Late last month, Macedonia said it would only accept 300 Syrian or Iraqi refugees as part of its new border crossing measure.

Also in February, Macedonia refused to accept Afghan refugees and this left some 13,000-14,000 people stranded in a camp in northern Greece.

Refugees gather close to the gate at the Greek-Macedonian border on March 5, 2016. (AFP photo)

On Friday, Slovenia’s parliament passed a bill that would make it harder for refugees to enter the country.

The bill simplifies the rejection process for refugees from certain countries, limits the appeal process in case of a rejection and also reduces financial aid for refugees and their families if the latter are also accepted.

The European Commission bureau of statistics, Eurostat, said in a recent report that some 1,255,600 refugees reached Europe in 2015, with more than a third of them going to Germany. People from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan topped the Eurostat’s list of refugees.

Europe is facing an unprecedented influx of refugees, most of whom are fleeing conflict-ridden zones in Africa and the Middle East.

Many blame Western intervention in conflicts in the Middle East as the main reason behind the departure of refugees from their home countries.

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