GETTY Migrants revealed they will not stay in safe Serbia (pictured) because it is 'too poor'

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Shocking figures show safe nations in and around the EU are being battered at the borders, but are ignored as migrants can cross to more desirable nations including Germany, France and the UK. Syrian refugees have revealed they view many of the nations they must walk through to reach Europe "too poor" to stay in, despite just leaving their war-ravaged homeland. Hundreds of thousands have travelled from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan to Turkey, through Greece, Macedonia and Serbia to reach the EU at the Hungary border. But the majority have no intention of ever staying in any country they pass through. In Serbia, migrants can “express the intention to seek asylum” upon entering the country. This gives them 72 hours to report to one of five migration centres whereupon they can begin their application. However, of the tens of thousands who have entered asylum centres, less than 600 have sought asylum in the nation.

Express Mohammed Miresh and his wife said they could not stay in Turkey because there was

The Serbian government has repeatedly assured asylum seekers they will be looked after in the country, while telling the EU the nation will take its fair share of those fleeing conflict. According to the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights of 577,995 intentions to seek asylum expressed in 2015, only 583 resulted in submitted applications As a result of the abuse of the system Serbian Government introduced a special legal status for persons transiting through the country who did not wish to remain. These people were issued with “certificates for migrants coming from countries where their lives are in danger”. Thousands have continued to pour over the Macedonian border with Serbia - but after being handed the certificates - only 475 such intentions were expressed in the course of January 2016. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksander Vucic announced government plans to build a temporary reception centre in Belgrade with the capacity to accommodate up to 3,000 asylum seekers. He said the Serbian people welcome asylum seekers and his nation would try to help them. He said: “We can’t close our eyes like others in Europe have. “Refugees are safe and welcome here. Some will stay, although we know they want to go to more developed countries. If they want to stay, we have no problem – these are good, hard-working people.”

Express A park in Belgrade is filled with migrants passing through the country

Life inside Serbia's migrant camps as borders to Europe remain closed Wed, April 6, 2016 Life inside Serbia's migrant camps as borders to Europe remain closed Play slideshow Adrian Callaghan/Daily Express 1 of 54 I child makes the sign of peace inside a refugee camp, Serbia

This is a poor country. What can we do Afghani migrant

Mr Vucic has called for European member states to take two million genuine asylum-seekers and share them out fairly. But despite being safe, Serbia is a poor nation compared to its EU neighbours. And with average wage of €330 per month - the country is not seen as desirable by refugees. Speaking from migrant camps in Serbia last year, Syrians told Express Online there was "no way" they would apply for asylum in Serbia, despite having to wait months in squalid camps and rely on smugglers to get them over the borders. Syrian Mohammed Miresh, 60, was waiting in a migrant camp in Serbia to move on to Germany with his wife and son, 17. He said: "In Turkey we tried hard and my son was working, carrying 50 or 60 kilos of stuff around, for a farm but he was barely getting any money. "He’s so young. I want him to go to school. "In Germany he can have a future. There is nothing in Serbia for us. "Maybe we would have stayed in Turkey but it was no life. "Germany wants us. Germany has said we can go there." Qais Halimi, 23, fled Afghanistan in the hope of reaching Germany. He insisted he would head to Germany because Serbia was "too poor". He said: "Mostly we want to go to Germany because they want us, they accept us." Another Afghani man who did not want to be named said they would keep on trying to reach Germany, France or the UK. He said: "This is a poor country. What can we do? "Where can we work? "Of course we will wait here until we find a way to cross."

Express Serbia is

Countries most likely to accept asylum seekers and grant a stay in their nation include Malta, Finland, Italy, Czech Republic and Bulgaria. But in the first quarter of 2016, the latest available figures from Eurostat show huge lows in application number in the countries. In Czech Republic only 20 Syrians applied for asylum while 105 Iraqis requested a stay. Two thousand Iraqis applied for asylum in Bulgaria, while 440 Syrians attempted to grant official status. In Hungary, the gateway to the EU for hundreds of thousands of EU migrants, there were 1,320 applications from Afghanis and 945 applications from Iraqi nationals. Comparatively, in Germany there were 88,515 applications form Syrians and 25,550 from Iraqis.

Express Musician Qais Halimi, 23, wants to reach Germany because he said Afghanis are welcome there