Response and Responsibilities of the Republic of Macedonia in the Migrant and Refugees Crises

The Republic of Macedonia has had a long history of dealing with migrants and refugees. Since the late nineteenth century, conflicts, including the Balkan Wars (1912–1913), the First and Second World Wars, the Greek civil war (1945–1949), the Kosovo conflict, and the 2001 internal security crisis, have caused successive waves of migration. More recently, armed conflict in the Middle East, especially in Syria, caused a migrant and refugee crisis that has deeply affected the country. This article analyses how the Republic of Macedonia has responded to this crisis. It examines the initial period of the crisis, the measures, activities, and deficiencies of the institutions dealing with the crisis, the inhumane treatment of migrants and refugees at the beginning of the crisis, and the measures that the Republic of Macedonia has taken to deal with the illegal crossing at their southern border