Hans Peter Doskozil

Austria has announced it is ready to use soldiers and tanks to stop migrants crossing its border with Italy, as Brussels urged Europe to help Italian authorities manage an "unprecedented" arrival of people from north Africa.

Austria plans to very soon establish checks on the border with Italy and deploy soldiers there unless the influx of migrants slows down.

"I expect that very soon border controls will be activated and that an assistance deployment will be requested," Austrian Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil told the Krone daily.

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Turkey and Saudi Arabia are spreading Islamic values more heavily into society in the Balkan states, Austrian Federal Minister of Defense Hans Peter Doskozil said in an interview to the German newspaper Die Welt published Tuesday.

The minister added that Ankara continues to spread its influence in Albania, Kosovo and Serbia.

''Balkan route is not closed. From Turkey to Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia continue to pass migrants'', said the Austrian Defence Minister Hans Peter Doskozil in an interview with German daily, cited by BNR.

That's why he insists for tightening the border controls of Bulgaria, Hungary and the Balkan countries.

The Austrian government is increasing pressure on rejected asylum-seekers, introducing a draft law that would allow authorities to stop providing food and accommodation to those who refuse to leave the country.

Austria will not send military personnel to Bulgaria and Serbia for the defence of their borders from migrants, stated Austrian Federal Minister of Defence Hans Peter Doskozil, cited by Die Presse.

According to him, assistance will not be provided because this is impossible at the moment due to the existing legal situation.

Austrian Defence Minister Hans Peter Doskozil told Austrian newspaper ‘Osterreich’ that 3 military battalions were ready to deploy in the state of Tirol in light of the refugee crisis. His new statements come a day after he told news outlets Saturday that tighter military border controls were necessary on the borders of Greece, Italy and Bulgaria to stem immigration flows.

The EU must help Macedonia bolster security at its border with Greece in order to keep the Western Balkans route shut to migrants, Austrian Defence Minister Hans Peter Doskozil has said.

The Austrian government invited Bulgaria for participation at an extraordinary meeting between the interior and foreign  ministers of the countries along the Western Balkans migrant route.

The invitation was sent by Austria's Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner and Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz.