Dacic, Austria's Karner discuss police cooperation, crisis situation in Kosovo-Metohija

VIENNA - After a meeting with Austrian counterpart Gerhard Karner in Vienna, Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said bilateral police cooperation was on a high level, as confirmed by major crackdowns on organised crime and all other forms of crime, and that they had also discussed the current situation in Kosovo-Metohija and the difficult position of Serbs in the province.

Dacic said the meeting had reconfirmed the good and intensive police cooperation and Serbia's results in efficient curbing of irregular migration, the Serbian Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Dacic said cooperation in interior affairs was among the more intensive forms of cooperation between the two countries.

He said he expected Karner to visit Serbia soon and noted that Serbian and Austrian police exchanged more than 3,000 items of police information a year in the fight against organised crime, terrorism and irregular migration.

"We will have joint trainings and projects and we are already working on some activities, and I would like to thank Austria for the presence of their police officers on our borders," Dacic said.

He added that, besides a recent agreement with Frontex, Serbian and Austrian police would continue to cooperate through a trilateral initiative also involving Hungary.

He said that Serbia had received praise at the meeting for its results in curbing irregular migration towards Western Europe.

"Minister Karner said the number of irregular migrants had been reduced by more than 50 pct, which is all a result of the good control we have in Serbia," Dacic said.

He also said he had informed Karner of the current situation in Kosovo-Metohija, conveying concerns over the terror against Serbs in the province and the current crisis following the arrest of the assistant director of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija.

He noted that the EU must react because it was evident that Albin Kurti did not want peace, but to provoke new conflicts.