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Czech Interior Minister Says Turkey Opened Gates to Europe for Syrian Refugees

PRAGUE (Sputnik) - Turkey has opened gates to Europe for Syrian refugees, which resulted in the increased number of illegal migrants detained in the Czech Republic and neighboring countries, Vit Rakusan, the Czech first deputy prime minister and concurrently the interior minister, said on Tuesday.
Sputnik
"We have wide open gates to Europe from Turkey. Hence the growing number of illegal Syrian migrants coming to the Czech Republic and neighboring European countries. And they arrive not from their own country, but through Turkey," Rakusan said during discussions on migration issues in the Czech parliament.
The Czech interior minister also noted that Budapest had stopped accepting refugees coming from Slovakia and Austria despite the fact that they had gotten into the two countries through Hungarian territory.
"In fact, Budapest does not comply with the agreement on the return of illegal migrants," Rakusan said.
In this regard, the Czech official announced his intention to discuss migration issues with colleagues from Slovakia and the German state of Bavaria in the near future.
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Since the beginning of 2022, over 3,600 illegal migrants, of which 90% were Syrian citizens, have been detained on the country's territory, according to the Czech Interior Ministry. The majority of refugees have been trying to get through Slovakia and then the Czech Republic to Germany. In 2021, Czech border guards detained 1,300 illegal migrants, while in previous years there were only 200-400 detentions.
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