Skopje, 20 October 2022 (MIA) – The state of security in the country is stable and has seen no change in the recent period because special attention is paid to the early detection and prevention of attempts for illegal border crossings, as well as prevention of migrant smuggling, said Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski in Berlin on Thursday. Minister Spasovski, who is heading the delegation at the meeting of Berlin Process ministers in charge of home affairs and migration, addressed three panels. In the first panel, Spasovski said that the 57 detected migrant smuggling cases in the first half of 2022 represent a 119-percent increase compared to the same period in 2021, whereas trends in the illegal migration field in the same period have increased but have no significant impact on the national migration management system, said the Ministry of Interior in a press release. He added that migration flows in North Macedonia have seen a drop by 80 percent but the transit ‘Western Balkans route’ remains active, noting that national measures are not sufficient but further strengthening of the common approach by countries concerned is required, as well as cooperation with the countries of origin, EU and UN agencies, and relevant international organizations. The MoI also addressed a panel on cooperation in the fight against corruption and organized crime, referring to the need for new forms of cooperation and international activities, considering the similarity of security threats not only for the country and the region but also for EU members and the United States. Spasovski stressed there is strong political will and public awareness in North Macedonia over the intensive and continued fight against transnational organized crime. According to him, setting up a legal framework enabling international cooperation among police services and prosecutions in European countries is the way to thwarting organized crime. From the aspect of the fight against corruption, regional ministers of interior signed last year a roadmap for prevention of corruption and illegal financing, which represents a political declaration that serves as a guideline for countries in the field of preventing corruption in public procurement, strengthening of systems for monitoring conflict of interests and asset declarations, as well as strengthening the response of the criminal justice system against corruption and financial crime. In the third panel dedicated to the management of returning foreign fighters, Spasovski said North Macedonia has started a process of preparing for an institutional response for rehabilitation, resocialization and reintegration of foreign terrorist fighters and their families returning from conflict areas, radicalized persons who have not left for conflict areas, as well as persons in post-penal treatment who had been sentenced for terrorism-related crimes. The minister also highlighted that the Government has adopted a National Plan for reintegration, resocialization and rehabilitation of returning foreign fighters and their families. Security threats, he added, call for new forms of cooperation and action in regional and international terms. “The Ministry has recognized the need for a quality mechanism in the fight against the biggest threat of the 21st century, setting up a separate unit for the fight against terrorism, violent extremism and radicalism,” underlined Spasovski.