Hungary Has Closed Its Border With Croatia

The closure of Hungary's southern border comes as the construction a 216-mile razor-wire fence is completed Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian foreign minister, told reporters in Budapest on Friday.

According to the New York Times, he added that the decision was more importantly due to the fact that Europe had yet to come up with a comprehensive plan that would stem the flow of migrants and refugees through the continent.

Several hundred migrants were the final few to be allowed through the border at the village of Zakany as soldiers shouted "closure!", the BBC said.

Reuters reported that Slovenian police said that a bus-full of migrants had arrived at its border with Croatia as people were diverted.

Slovenia cancelled all rail-traffic with Croatia, potentially slowing movement further. Of the 43 buses that were directed to Serbia's western border with Croatia, Reuters said, only five had been allowed through by Saturday morning.

Croatia has allowed free passage of migrants and refugees since Hungary first closed borders in September.

Some people arriving at the Hungarian border in September, many having fled Syria, felt they had no choice but to wait. "Why will I not go back? Because Europe is closing its borders — Hungary is doing it, Germany is doing it, France is doing it. And if it won't open here, it won't open anywhere. The only choice is to stay here, and to force them to open this door," Issa Issa, a Syrian Kurd from Hakkaseh told BuzzFeed News at the time.

In a statement on Friday, the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban defended his tough stance on immigration saying that Hungary was "protecting European values."

Referring to the large proportion of refugees and migrants who are muslim, he said: "Spiritually, Islam was never part of Europe. It's the rulebook of another world.

"We in Hungary decide what we want or don't want. We don't want that."