Czech Army May Deploy up to 2,600 Troops at Borders to Cope with Refugee Influx

The Czech Army may deploy up to 2,600 troops at the country's borders if a large-scale influx of refugees leads to an emergency situation, CTK news agency reported on Wednesday, citing a Defence Ministry report.

Czech President Milos Zeman met with the heads of the two houses of Parliament on Tuesday to discuss measures for stemming the refugee influx. The participants in the meeting agreed that the country has to be prepared for a thorough protection of its borders, CTK said.

Czech Senate Chairman Milan Stech said the security at the country's borders could be increased through holding additional military exercises.

The military could send up to 1,500 troops to protect the Czech Republic borders, Zeman said earlier this month.

News of the Czech government considering deployment of part of the country's 21,000-strong army along the country's borders came as Interior Minister Milan Chovanec said he would seek CZK 1.1B (EUR 40.7M) in additional spending under the 2016 budget draft to cope with the migration crisis next year.

The additional money will mainly be used to extend the capacity of some of the refugee centres in the country by adding 1,200 beds. 

Up to 7,000 refugees are expected to enter the Czech Republic next year, CTK said.

The original draft 2016 state budget proposed by the Finance Ministry in June put Interior Ministry spending at CZK 55.83B (EUR 2B). The government will resume discussing the draft next month before submitting a final version for approval to Parliament.

In view of the growing number of illegal migrants coming to Europe, the Czech Republic and Austria had agreed to strengthen security along their common border by reinforcing joint border patrols, Chovanec said last month.

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