A sign marking the Austrian border | Alex Domanski/Getty Images Austrian interior ministry: no need for troops on Italian border Austria’s defense secretary and foreign minister called for border controls at Brenner Pass to stem flow of migrants.

Austria sees no reason to install border security on the Italian border in response to an uptick in migrant arrivals on Italian shores, the interior ministry told Austrian news outlet der Standard on Wednesday.

The statement comes on the heels of a call by Defense Secretary Hans Peter Doskozil on Monday to put 750 troops on standby to help police the border. The interior ministry would have to sign off on the deployment of troops to assist border controls.

A recent upsurge is causing intense political anxiety in Italy and neighboring countries. In the first half of 2017, about 85,000 people landed on Italy’s shores, compared with 71,000 for the whole of 2016, according to the International Organization for Migration, a U.N. body.

"We are preparing ourselves and we will secure our border at the Brenner Pass if necessary," Austria's Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said Tuesday, adding that he considered it more important to act in the interest of the region of South Tyrol than to follow the provisions of the European Union.

Italy reacted by summoning Austrian Ambassador to Italy René Pollitzer and calling for EU-sanctions on Austria for their "lack of solidarity."

Officials in South Tyrol, the Italian region that borders Austria, were not concerned by Vienna's calls for troop deployment.

"The constantly repeated announcements of such measures probably are related to the fact that there will be elections in Austria this fall," the region's governor, Arno Kompatscher, commented.

This article was updated to correct a reference to South Tyrol. It is a predominantly German-speaking province in Italy.