Some 40% of Refugees in Germany Residents of West Balkan States

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that around 40 percent of all refugees in Germany were coming from Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — About 40 percent of all refugees that come to Germany are residents of Western Balkan states and have no chance of receiving asylum, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Saturday.

"We are happy that many people in Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina look at Europe with hope. Many of these countries are in talks over joining the European Union. Despite this, a large number of refugees are coming from these countries," Steinmeier said during the ministry’s open day, adding that around 40 percent of all refugees were coming from those countries.

According to the foreign minister, these people should not hope to receive asylum in Germany, and those who are already on their way should return home.

German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said earlier this month that 95 percent of asylum applications submitted by citizens of Western Balkan states are rejected.

According to the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), the country received about 200,000 asylum applications during the 2015. Some 94,000 of them are from the Balkans and 40,000 are from Syria. The BAMF President said that almost all applications from the Balkans would be rejected.