Serbia

As Hungary threw up the barriers to stop thousands of refugees trekking over its border from Serbia and into the European Union, undeterred migrants on the roads simply began to think of other routes to take. 

The Hungarian decision might relieve pressure on itself, but  also meant that new countries on the migrants' maps would be drawn into the crisis. 

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic will continue his several-day visit to the United States with a meeting today with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, he said that he expects the meeting to result in further support to Serbia.

Border crossings of Horgos and Backi Vinogradi with Hungary in northern Serbia have been closed.

The Automobile and Motorcycle Association of Serbia (AMSS) announced this on Wednesday morning, quoting the Border Police Directorate.

The first two buses with refugees from Presevo, in southern Serbia, arrived on Wednesday morning in Sid, a town in the northwest of the country.

Refugees are traveling from Asia, the Middle East and Africa taking the Balkan Route via Greece, Macedonia and Serbia, in a bid to reach Western and Northern Europe.

Buses which until recently were in charge of bringing migrants from Southern Serbia to the border with Hungary have now been diverted to Croatia, Serbian media outlets report.

B92 radio cites its reporter in Presevo, who was allegedly told by a driver that all migrants should be transported to ?id, a northwestern town in Vojvodida located close to the Croatian border.

"In anticipation of the visit of Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to the United States, we write to you with concern about reports of the deteriorating situation in Serbia," the five American Congress members wrote to Vice-President Biden in the letter which was made public by Serbian media portal Teleprompter on Monday.

Some 800 migrants headed from Istanbul in Turkey to Edirne, a city to the northwest, as they are trying to cross into Bulgaria and thus reach the EU, media sources say.

According to a Turkey correspondent for the Bulgarian National Radio, they were trying to reach Bulgaria or Greece's borders by bus and give either border a try.

After reports said that Hungary will soon start preparatory work to extend the border fence along its Serbian frontier eastwards towards Romania, the Romanian Foreign Ministry criticised the development.

"A fence between two EU member states that are also strategic partners is neither politically correct, nor in line with the European spirit," the ministry said on Tuesday.

Bulgaria on Tuesday warned its citizens to avoid using the main road linking Serbia's capital Belgrade with Hungary's Budapest after Hungarian authorities closed Roszke border crossing for cars and passengers to stem migrant influx.

Hungary plans to extend its razor-wire fence at the border with Serbia as far east as the border with Romania to prevent a potential inflow of migrants along alternative routes after shutting down the main land crossing on Tuesday, Reuters reported.