Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia continue to defy European Union-imposed quotas on migrants. Hungary even went as far to build a 155-kilometer long double-fence wall along its border with Serbia. As a result, thousands of those trying to reach Western Europe are stuck in Serbia, with little possibility of leaving. So how are migrants in Belgrade coping? CGTN's Aljosa Milenkovic reports from the Serbian capital.

Less than 10 kilometers from the Belgrade city center, a refugee camp in the Krnjaca neighborhood has been hosting hundreds of people for years now. The refugees all come from the non-European countries, seeking a better life and future.

17-year-old Zakiullah Shahzad, or Zak, is one of them. More than two years ago, together with his sister Lida, he left Afghanistan, hoping to settle in Austria. But both of them have been stuck here for the last 14 months, after traveling through several countries and paying smugglers thousands of US dollars. The chances of them reaching Austria are slim at best. So Zak decided to settle down in Serbia instead.

ZAKIULLAH SHAHZAD MIGRANT FROM AFGHANISTAN "It is better than the other countries. I've decided to live here. It's a good country, good government, good rules and good people here. So, I decided to live here. Look, I have everything here. Got room, got people, got migrants and it's good for me."

Zak is one of the 618-thousand migrants who have requested asylum protection in Serbia since 2015, as they cross the country to head west. But most of them have already moved on to other EU countries, and only 4,000 of the applicants are currently in Serbia.

ALJOSA MILENKOVIC BELGRADE "The hundreds of people here are just a fraction of the 4,000 or so registered asylum seekers located in 18 camps across Serbia. Both the government and the opposition are saying they are welcome guests, but it looks like nobody wants their stay to be permanent."

Because migrants applied for asylum here in Serbia, the opposition claims there's a possibility of hundreds of thousands of them returning, if the EU decides to expel them.

BOSKO OBRADOVIC MP, SERBIAN MOVEMENT "DVERI" "I think that credible doubts exist – that in one moment in time, Serbia may serve the EU as one big center for asylum seekers. We truly are in a bad situation -- with the constant extortion from Brussels that we need to do one thing or another in order to proceed with our EU integration process. One of it is the idea that 'excess' migrants whom the EU doesn't want to accept, should permanently settle here in Serbia."

The Serbian government denies claims of that situation. According to officials, Serbia is ready to accept migrants as per eventual EU quotas, even though it is not an EU member.

NEBOJSA STEFANOVIC SERBIAN INTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER "If the EU decides that the migrants have to be distributed according to EU quotas, Serbia is of course ready to participate in that. We are not just ready to participate in the future – we are participating in it right now. We already have 4,000 migrants on our territory and we are providing them with all the humane treatment which one country can deliver for migrants and refugees."

Back in the Krnjaca camp, children are playing in the day care. Some 120 of them from this camp alone are attending local schools, learning Serbian language and already beginning their integration process. Aljosa Milenkovic, CGTN, Belgrade.