Afghan migrants seeking to travel through the Balkans to northern Europe were barred from entering Macedonia on Sunday, Greek police on the border said. "We were warned this morning that Macedonian authorities would no longer let Afghans pass," a Greek police official told AFP, adding that Macedonia justified its move by claiming that Serbia had made a similar decision.
The development came after Austria on Friday introduced a daily limit on asylum seekers entering and registering in the country, triggering EU fears of a domino effect along the so-called Balkan migrant route.
On Sunday, Afghans seeking to enter into Macedonia through the Idomeni border crossing were pushed back, while only Syrians and Iraqis were allowed through.
A Greek government source confirmed the development, adding that Athens had received no official notice of the change from the Macedonian government. "Greece condemns any unilateral action" on the management of the migrant crisis, the source added.
According to the UN refugee agency's representative Alexander Voulgaris, some 200 Afghans were being prevented from continuing their onward journeys.
Since November, countries on the Balkan route have allowed only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans to continue their journey up towards Germany, Sweden and other European nations where they plan to apply for asylum.
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