Immigration quotas irrational: Slovak PM

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said that the quotas fixed for immigrants from the Middle East and elsewhere are irrational.

"The quotas are irrational," said Fico on Monday, adding that immigrants do not want to remain in Slovakia anyway, and the country does not have any instruments to keep them here, Xinhua reported.

He was speaking at a summit also attended by the Czech Republic's Bohuslav Sobotka and Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann in Bratislavam which did not result in any breakthrough in the diverging views on the introduction of immigration quotas as held by Slovakia and the Czech Republic on one side and Austria on the other.

Nevertheless, all three officials concurred on the need to improve the protection of the outer Schengen borders.

"Maybe even in military terms," said Fico. He added that if Greece, Italy and Hungary need help in this, Slovakia is ready to contribute in financial, material and personnel terms.

The officials further debated the setting up of safety zones in European countries facing the strongest influx of immigrants to allow to distinguish those who are escaping war and economic immigrants.

Slovakia is also ready to contribute in this regard but everything will depend on an agreement with the rest of the EU countries.

According to Fico, there is also a security dimension to the problem, he stressed, noting that the mass of people coming to Europe, demonstrably, also includes figures from the Islamic State (IS).