Serbia Cancels Visa Exemption for Iranians

On Wednesday, October 10, the Serbian government issued an order rejecting the visa exemption for Iranians traveling to the country without a visa. It has been just over a year since Serbia exempted Iranian citizens from needing a visa to enter the country. The decree published in the official journal of Serbia states: "The Government of the Republic of Serbia has decided to end its previous decision to abolish the visa requirement for citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran." The two countries have had close relations since the early 1990s, when the former Yugoslavia fell into war, and Serbia was part of Yugoslavia at that time. Last summer, Belgrade decided to exempt Iranians from visa requirements to boost the country's tourism industry and access non-European markets. However, Serbian officials say that the number of illegal Iranian migrants attempting to reach European Union countries through Serbia is very high. Nebojša Stefanović, the Serbian Minister of the Interior, warned on Wednesday in Parliament about the number of Iranians who are "misusing" the visa-free travel to Serbia. Divović Rados, an official from the Refugee Protection Center based in Belgrade, stated in an interview with Reuters: "This action is a response to the problems that many Iranians have caused upon entering Serbia as they attempt to travel west or claim asylum." So far this year, 1,100 Iranians have officially claimed asylum in Serbia to be transferred to refugee centers where they can have shelter and daily food. Currently, about 4,000 refugees from Asia, the Middle East, and other parts of the world have registered in government-affiliated centers in Serbia. At the same time, hundreds of other migrants are stranded in Belgrade or at the border of Serbia with Bosnia and Croatia and EU member countries.