ATHENS - The Macedonian authorities have shut down the border with Greece to migrants from Afghanistan, local media reported Sunday.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras delivers a speech marking one year since he was first elected to power in Athens, Greece, January 24, 2016.
According to the Athens News Agency — Macedonian Press Agency, the move was triggered by Serbian authorities closing the country’s border to Macedonia to Afghan migrants, leaving almost 370 people trapped at the border. Prior to this, refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan were allowed to cross over.
The Macedonian authorities shut the border with Greece on Saturday. Some 4,000 people are currently in temporary camps in Greece, according to the media outlet.
Earlier in the week, Croatia implemented a set of measures to prevent undocumented migrants from entering the country with the aim of traveling onward to other European states, such as Austria and Slovenia. Zagreb's move led to an accumulation of migrants within Serbia.
Europe has faced an enormous influx of migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa. Many refugees use transit routes through the Balkans to reach more prosperous countries in Western Europe.
EU border agency Frontex recorded over 1.83 million illegal border crossings into the European Union in 2015. (Sputnik)