Serbia First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic, Austrian Interior Minister Johann Mikl-Leitner and Interior Minister of Hungary Sandor Pinter today signed a joint declaration on the coordination of activities in the fight against illegal migrants.

Dacic said after signing the declaration in Budapest that this is important for the three countries, but also for the EU.

This is a very important issue because lately large numbers of illegal migrants crossed Greece, Macedonia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Albania or the administrative line with Kosovo-Metohija and entered Serbia, and then tried to move on to Western Europe, he said.

The declaration, he said, is very important for Serbia because only in the first half of the year about 2,000 illegal migrants were stopped and arrested by the Serbian police.

He explained that the aim of the declaration, signed at the initiative of interior ministers of Hungary and Austria, is to coordinate the efforts of the three countries in an effort to reduce the number of illegal immigrants.

Dacic pointed out that signing the joint declaration is very important for Serbia's future course of European integration.

The declaration means that we will take joint action and that Hungary and Austria will aid Serbia through technological equipment for the border police department in order to better control the border lines between Hungary and Serbia, he explained.

Dacic said that the signed document envisages joint control and intervention and, later, harmonizing Serbia's legislation in expectation of full EU integration, from the Serbian Interior Ministry say.

He added that this document envisages that Ministries of Internal Affairs of Austria and Hungary help Serbia to get money from EU pre-accession funds in order to protect the state border and prevent illegal migration.