Tensions are running high between Austria and Greece ahead of Wednesday's conference in Vienna on strategies to reduce migrant flows. Leaders from nine states along the so-called Balkan route will attend the summit, but Greece was not invited.

"These meetings (with the western Balkan states) take place within a format and with fixed participants," Interior Ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck told news agency AFP.

Wednesday's conference, "Managing Migration Together," will include foreign and interior ministers from Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.

The ministers are set to discuss such issues as managing borders and combating human smugglers, as well as improving communication on national policies.

The conference will also attempt to create unified positions ahead of Thursday's EU interior ministers meeting, an official close to the talks told the German news agency DPA.

Greek backlash

Vienna's decision outraged Athens, which responded by filing a diplomatic protest against the "unilateral and nonfriendly" conference.

Greece's Foreign Ministry said that its exclusion meant the summit was "an attempt to take decisions in Greece's absence that directly affect Greece and Greek borders."

Macedonia's latest policy of denying entry to Afghans - who are one of the major groups of migrants - has already caused a large backup on Greece's border.

The conference also undermines efforts to come up with an EU-wide decision concerning refugees, Greek officials said.

"Decisions concerning refugee flows must be taken collectively without exclusions," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told his Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte, in a telephone call on Tuesday.

The European Commission also criticized the latest refugee restrictions along the Balkan route as unlawful and contrary to an EU-wide approach.

Germany's 'contradictory' policy

Austria's foreign minister also heavily criticized Germany's refugee policy on Wednesday, calling it "contradictory."

"We have to generally cut down on the flow of refugees," Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said Wednesday in an interview with the German newspaper "Bild."

"Last year, Austria accepted per capita twice as many asylum applications as Germany," Kurz said. "That won't happen a second time."

Kurz also responded to criticism from German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere over Austria's limit of 80 asylum applications per day, while waving through another 3,200 refugees who are mostly bound for Germany.

"The interior ministers will meet on Thursday at the EU Council and are in constant contact," Kurz said. "Austria wants partnership and cooperation with Germany. Therefore, we expect that Germany will say whether or not it is prepared to take refugees and how many - or if it is no longer ready to accept them."

Tighter borders force thousands to sleep at Greek gas stations Grey felt against winter cold The metallic gold emergency blankets synonymous with Europe's refugee crisis have been replaced by thick felt covers distributed by the UNHCR to help ward off low temperatures as vast numbers of asylum-seekers continue arriving on Greek islands. On Saturday alone, more than 4,000 people entered the country, putting pressure on the limited capacities of camps in Athens and Idomeni.

Tighter borders force thousands to sleep at Greek gas stations Journeys interrupted While the number of incoming asylum-seekers remains high, Macedonia has drastically reduced its intake. Officials open and close the border without warning, creating large backlogs of people - sometimes reaching more than 2,000 - at gas stations, where they spend an average of 14-24 hours waiting outdoors, said Gemma Gillie, a communications officer for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Idomeni.

Tighter borders force thousands to sleep at Greek gas stations Emergency response At an Eko gas station 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the Macedonian border, MSF has responded by setting up six heated tents and distributing food, along with providing medical services. "It seems the police are trying to control the flow of people so they don't cause problems in Idomeni again," said Gillie, referring to riots that ravaged the camp in December.

Tighter borders force thousands to sleep at Greek gas stations Long waits, cold weather On days with heavy traffic, asylum-seekers may wait more than 24 hours at a single gas station. To cope with nighttime temperatures below freezing, some have taken to sleeping inside the luggage compartments beneath locked buses, said Gillie, explaining that bus drivers often leave refugees overnight when they go to sleep in nearby hotels.

Tighter borders force thousands to sleep at Greek gas stations 15 days old Countless mothers make the voyage to Europe with newborns, said Celine Gagne, field manager for Save the Children in Idomeni. "Last night, we had a 15-day-old baby sleeping outside in eight below zero [17 degrees Fahrenheit] temperatures," she said. "This happens while, 20 kilometers away, we have heated tents in Idomeni that these people are denied access to."

Tighter borders force thousands to sleep at Greek gas stations Rest area after rest area Daniel Asadzade, an Iraqi Christian, arrived at the gas station at 5 a.m. Sunday morning with his friends, pictured above. The night before they slept at another rest area north of Athens. "I can't do this another night," Asadzade said. "First thing I do when I get to Germany is take a bath. Now I am thinking like a horse."

Tighter borders force thousands to sleep at Greek gas stations 'Pray for the border' Asadzade said he paid $45 (42 euros) for the extended bus ride to Macedonia and had little money leftover after spending nearly $4,000 to reach Greece. "I'm not the only one," he said. "Many families here don't have money and we keep stopping at gas stations where we have to buy everything." "We have to pray for the border to open."

Tighter borders force thousands to sleep at Greek gas stations Shelter with a price Those who buy something can stay in the dining area, but not all have cash on hand, such as this Afghan man, who was asked to leave. Theodoros Saulidis, the gas station's owner, said the high number of refugees are "good for business, but they break everything," including toilets, chairs, and the trees surrounding trees, which are stripped for firewood.

Tighter borders force thousands to sleep at Greek gas stations 11 tons of firewood Using MSF funds, Greek volunteers George and Samantha Pappas deliver firewood to help refugees stay warm at night. Pictured above is their third and final delivery to the Eko gas station on Sunday, where more than 40 busloads of asylum-seekers would spend the night. Samantha said each truckload weighs 11 tons and costs about 1,000 euros.

Tighter borders force thousands to sleep at Greek gas stations Camping out for the night With the Idomeni camp at full capacity, about 2,000 people camped out at the Eko gas station Sunday night, which is becoming a normal occurrence when arrival numbers are high in Greece, said Celine Gagne of Save the Children. "There is much more my staff would like to do for these people, but we simply can't with our current resources." Author: Diego Cupolo



rs/jil (AFP, dpa, Reuters)