1,539 people sought asylum in January and February

1,539 people sought asylum in January and February

BELGRADE -- In the first two months of 2014, 1,539 people sought political asylum in Serbia, while the total for 2013 was 5,065, authorities have announced.

"This data indicates that there will be more and more people seeking political asylum in Serbia and that it is something to consider," Executive Director of the Asylum Protection Center Radoš Đurović has told Tanjug.

Đurović explains that 1,354 men and 185 women sought asylum, adding that around 220 of them were minors and that 126 came to Serbia without escort.

Syrians were the most numerous among the asylum seekers, 766, followed by people from Eritrea, 183, Afghanistan, 168, Sudan, 63, Mali 57, Somalia, 53 and Pakistan 50.

There is room for about 500 asylum seekers in 5 collective centers, Đurović stated.

"These are all things to consider in the future, and the process of applying for political asylum has to be a lot faster," he concluded.