Following bilateral talks with Russian First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Titov on Friday, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said that a foolish debate is going on about whether there is a link between terrorism and illegal migration.
At a joint press conference held with his Russian counterpart, the Hungarian Minister declared that Europe is living its everyday life under a threat of terrorism never witnessed before: six to ten thousand illegal immigrants arrive in the EU on a daily basis, mostly in an uncontrolled manner and this poses a serious security risk. Nowadays, it is obvious that terrorist organizations use the migration crisis to send their fighters and terrorists to Europe, he said, adding that a significant share of the immigrants come from countries which are in conflict with European countries or are even at war with them.
Mr. Szijjártó called it shocking that some European leaders are still arguing for open borders and its advantages. "How many deaths and how many terrorist acts are needed for European politicians to act instead of speaking about the importance of border protection and border surveillance?”, the Minister asked”. We refuse that some European politicians make the situation look as if it was normal that thousands of people cross through European countries as they see fit.
On the other hand, more and more European political speakers start to realise the security risk, the Minister said.
According to Mr. Szijjártó, the current Hungarian-Russian talks were also of particular importance because Russia has become involved resolution of the Syrian crisis. Without Russia, there can be no solution, the Minister said. He expressed his hope that an agreement will soon be reached between the Transatlantic Community and Russia, which could then lead to the resolution of the Syrian situation as well.
He stressed that it is Europe's interest to reach a ceasefire agreement in Syria and to start negotiations as soon as possible. This is not the time to argue about who will lead a peaceful and stable Syria in the future. This can be the next step, but first peace and stability need to be established, he said.
Hungary rejects the idea of a “mini-Schengen”, which would exclude Central European countries from the Schengen zone and would only include countries that have so far argued for open borders. Hungary is currently the only country that complies with Schengen rules, he said.
The two parties also discussed energy issues. Regarding the Paks expansion, the Minister noted that “it is hard not to notice that it is on a political basis that the European Union picks energy projects to criticise”. He insisted that Hungary’s agreements on the upgrade of Paks Nuclear Power Plant are in full compliance with all national and European regulations.
As regards Europe’s economic challenges, the Minister said that the continent is falling behind in the global competition and it is clear that it will not regain its former level of competitiveness unless it establishes a pragmatic cooperation with Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union. According to the Minister, as a result of the EU’s sanctions and the ensuing Russian embargo, Hungarian companies have lost export opportunities worth some USD 2.5 billion over the last two years. Yet, Hungary abides by common European decisions, and agrees that the implementation of the Minsk Agreement is especially important.
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
