Belgian State Secretary for Migration and Asylum Melchior Wathelet in Bujanovac on Oct. 20 appealed to the citizens in southern Serbia not to seek asylum in Belgium as they will not get it for economic reasons.

"In September, some 150 Serbian citizens sought asylum in Belgium, which is not as many as it was in January and February this year, but is 50 percent up against August," Wathelet said. "Obviously the number of asylum seekers is rapidly growing, the majority of them being from southern Serbia," he added.

Wathelet, together with the Belgian Embassy officials, discussed the asylum issue with mayors of Bujanovac and Presevo, Shaip Kamberi and Ragmi Mustafa, and representatives of the local Roma community.

The large number of Serbian citizens seeking asylum in EU countries will not jeopardize the free travel regime with the EU, Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said in Belgrade on Oct. 20.

"I do not believe that a large number of asylum seekers will endanger the 'white Schengen.' We will do everything to resolve this issue," Cvetkovic said.