We must pay much more attention to managing locally the causes that give rise to migration, Finance Minister Mihály Varga highlighted. The Finance Minister conducted several important bilateral talks, from Hungary’s point of view, at the annual General Meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group.

The World Bank which has set out to eradicate poverty could play a major role in the development of the countries affected by migration, the Finance Minister added.

In some cases, immigration causing crises in a number of points around the world is attributable to the shortcomings of the water supply infrastructure. The lack of water frustrates not only daily life, but also local agricultural production as well as any other industrial activities. The local development of water industry technologies and its financing are primary development responsibilities which fit into the World Bank’s profile, the Minister recalled at his meetings with Erik Bethel, Executive Director representing the United States on the World Bank Board of Directors and Günther Schönleitner, country group Executive Director of the World Bank.

Hungarian experts and businesses can also take part in projects which offer solutions to the problem of water supply world-wide, and which could thereby significantly alleviate one of the reasons for mass migration, Mr Varga stressed. This is in harmony with the Hungarian government’s position consistently followed for years now which holds that help must be taken where there are problems, and the solution to the problems does not lie in encouraging immigration, the Minister said.

(MTI)