Under the terms of an agreement on migration between the European Union and Turkey, the route of migration in the Western Balkans can currently be regarded as closed, but it is uncertain whether this state of affairs will continue into the future”, Deputy Minister Tamás Vargha, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Hungarian Ministry of Defence stated at a press briefing held after the EU Defence Ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday, 19 April.
In his statement to MTI, the State Secretary said that the slight increase in the number of violations of the border between Hungary and Serbia also shows that human smuggling networks are still intent on using the Western Balkan route.
He added that in the next period, the European Union will face the serious challenge presented by a route on the Mediterranean Sea (Central Mediterranean route), which remains open, and will probably be used by an increasing number of migrants with the coming of the good weather.
Tamás Vargha told MTI that the Tuesday meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council focused on the issue of migration. In connection with this, he emphasized the importance of protecting the external borders of the EU, and also noted that all possibilities must be explored regarding cooperation in the framework of the European Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) to make sure that the borders remain closed indeed to illegal migrants.
At the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, the participants also approved the establishment of an EU military training mission in the Central African Republic (EUTM RCA). The two-year mission will “work towards a modernized, effective, inclusive and democratically accountable Central African Armed Forces (FACA)”. The participants of the meeting also discussed issues related to the EU’s available means for countering hybrid threats.
(Ministry of Defence/MTI)
