FIle photo of Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico. (Reuters)
An influx of asylum seekers into the European Union could heighten the risk of terror attacks, Slovakia's leftist prime minister said Wednesday as he opposed EU plans to set refugee quotas across the bloc.
"The first major risk we will cite when opposing the (European) Commission's proposal is the threat of an influx of people who aren't coming to Europe in search of work and a better life, but to spread terrorism," Premier Robert Fico told reporters.
Fico also pointed to what he termed "cultural and religious divergences" between immigrants and Slovaks.
Like many EU members, Slovakia opposes the EU's plan for binding quotas on asylum seekers. A country of 5.2 million, it would be asked to take in 1,104 migrants under quota system.
The European Commission on Wednesday asked its member states to admit 40,000 asylum seekers from Syria and Eritrea who have landed in Italy and Greece, which are overstretched by an influx of migrants.
The emergency proposal, as well as a separate bid to resettle some 20,000 Syrian refugees in member states, comes in response to a surge in the number of migrants making the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean.
"We are going to oppose it (migrant quotas) while searching for the best solution for all parties involved," Fico said, adding that his country was not shunning its responsibilities or questioning the principle of European solidarity.