ROME: Italy summoned Austria’s ambassador on Tuesday after Vienna threatened to send troops to the border to stop migrants entering, as the number crossing the Mediterranean topped 100,000 this year.
Fresh tensions have been rising over Europe’s migrant crisis, with Austrian Defence Minister Hans Peter Doskozil saying on Monday that his country would close its border with Italy, and send soldiers to guard it, if there was no slowdown in arrivals.
While Austrian authorities said there had been no recent surge in border crossings despite the huge numbers landing in Italy, Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz warned: "We are getting ready and will protect our Brenner border if necessary" - referring to the main Brenner mountain pass through the Alps between Italy and Austria.
The border is open as part of Europe’s Schengen passport-free zone and has seen between 15 and 40 migrant arrivals daily in recent weeks, said Helmut Tomac, police chief in the Austrian state of Tyrol.
Italy’s Interior Minister Marco Minniti said he was "frankly surprised" by Doskozil’s threat considering "there is clearly no emergency at the Brenner Pass and cooperation with the Austrian police works perfectly".