The Czech Republic will not accept any invaders coming from Turkey “due to the unclear situation after the coup” in that country, Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (Social Democrats, CSSD) has told the public broadcaster Czech Television (CT).

The Czech Republic is also going to start a “tough diplomatic offensive” in order to make Greece fulfill its duties over the displaced persons, Chovanec said.

“We will not accept anyone till the end of the year because the security checks are very precise,” Chovanec said.

“After the events in Turkey, and we do not know exactly what happened in Turkey, whether it was a coup or counter-coup, Turks have been intervening militarily in a very efficient way,” he added.

“However, I am afraid that they are not intervening to the benefit of the people in Syria, but they are resolving their conflicts with Kurds,” Chovanec said.

“I am afraid that the escalation of the tension Turkey is now practicing in the direction of the Kurds may destabilize Turkey,” he added. “If the agreement with Turkey crumbles, we may expect a migration wave of a minor character this year and a much bigger one next spring,” Chovanec said.

It is impossible to accept the Turks’ demand and cancel their visa duty because they have not fulfilled the conditions given to them by the EU, he added. “If Europe does this, it will absolutely lose face,” Chovanec said.

It is necessary to force Greece and Italy to start approaching the migration seriously, he added.

“If they do not, they will have no place in Schengen,” Chovanec said. “The Czech Republic should start a tough offensive in diplomatic negotiations primarily to make Greece fulfil its duties,” he added. “Unfortunately, Greece will have to become a sort of detention facility where the migrants would know that they are closed there, checked, and returned,” Chovanec said.

The Czech Republic is also preparing a more comprehensive monitoring of its border with Germany in case Germany starts returning the refugees to the country of their origin, he added.

At the end of September, Chovanec will have talks with his German counterpart in Berlin.

“We will not be closing our border and building fences, but we want to know what is going on,” Chovanec said. It can be expected that after the return policy is toughened, a part of the migrants will try to escape from Germany, he added.

“We want to know where they go and whether they will go across this country,” he added. “It is not very likely that they will be running to the Czech Republic in order to stay in it,” Chovanec added.