Refugee crisis posing economic, security risks for locals at Macedonian border

The Greek ferry "Elefteros Venizelos" brought almost 2,500 new migrants from Syria in the Greek port Pireia on Tuesday, Greek media reported.

In the past few days, they reached the Greek island Lesbos from Turkey and now they are continuing their journey towards Western Europe.

It is expected that refugees will soon reach the border with Macedonia, creating another migrant wave for the Balkan country that is already facing a difficult situation and had to declare a "state of emergency" at its borders.

Citizens of the Macedonian town Gevgelija, right at the border with Greece, say that they are used to the presence of migrants in their town but sometimes fear for their security because of the number of strangers that passes through.

"We are scared sometime because there are all sorts of people. You don't know who enters the country under the pretext of being a refugee, is he a good or a bad person. We are scared of possible spreading of illnesses. But I am sure that they are also scared. They don't know where they are going and what may happen to them," citizen Slavcho Ristov told Xinhua.

Some of the citizens, mainly the ones living near the railway station overflowing with migrants in the past days, addressed their concerns to the town mayor Ivan Frangov who promised action.

The authorities recently opened a special shelter center for migrants outside Gevgelija. It provides more humane treatment for migrants but also reduces their movement in town.

Lenche Zdravkin lives near the railway in Veles and has witnessed the plight of the people from Middle East, Africa and Asia trying to continue their journey up north. Recently, she got recognition by the UNHCR for her help rendered to migrants in helping them transit through the country.

"In the past weeks, I am constantly traveling from Veles to Gevgelija. I told my family that I had to be there, I just had to help them. It is the fear in the eyes of the children and their mothers that strikes me the most. I don't want even to imagine how it would be for a person to be in their shoes," Zdravkin told Xinhua.

She said she wasn't scared for a single moment and opened the door to her house to the migrants, creating an improvised shelter for them.

The railway station in Gevgelija has been turned into a mini-market lately. Citizens sell supplies to the thousands of newcomers who are eager to continue their journey. Migrants buy water, food and other goods at prices that are sometimes several times higher than normal. They even pay for services such as charging their mobile phone.

The Macedonian health ministry ordered all doctors in general practice in Gevgelija starting Monday to take turns to be on duty at the refugee center. Doctors fear that it will mean them neglecting their local patients.

"Our assessment is that the escalation of the refugee crisis will continue. We expect concrete help of the European Union," Macedonian Minister of Interior Mitko Chavkov said Monday after a visit to the border with Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz.

Security experts warn that the refugees bring security threats to the region as they continue their journey towards Western Europe.

"There are certain risks for the personal security. The lives of the migrants are under risk, there are health risks for the whole population, there is potential for human trafficking, breach of human rights and of social security system," Marijan Gjurovski, professor at the faculty for security in Skopje, told Xinhua.

"At the same time, we face threats for the national security. Sovereignty is threatened; there are risks of public order and social cohesion, potential for crime offences," he added.

Transiting through Macedonia, migrants buy items such as bicycles, food, beverages. According to the assessment of the economic analyst Sam Vakhnin, so far 10 million euros (11.5 U.S. dollars) was added to the local economy. Still, he adds, for poor and underdeveloped countries like Macedonia the effects of the migration influx can be very negative.

"As they enter in huge waves, they put an enormous burden on local infrastructure. They use water and electricity and the infrastructure is just not ready to serve so many people," he said.

"Migrants who stay tend to illegally compete with the local population for the job openings that require low skills, so salaries decrease and unemployment rises. At the end, we have a social system -- migrants use up the social benefits more than the local population," Vakhnin told Macedonian web-portal NOVA. Enditem