Europe must regain control over its borders, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Friday at the opening of the German Business Club (DWC) in Budapest.

The flood of immigration cannot be kept within tolerable boundaries if the European Union is unable to regain control over the borders of Greece with a united effort, Péter Szijjártó pointed out. The European Union must provide prompt financial assistance for Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraqi Kurdistan, the countries and regions which are currently protecting Europe from a wave of immigration in the millions, he said. Immigration is the greatest challenge in the history of the European Union, he said, adding: the biggest problem is that Europe has to date failed to give a united response to this challenge.

One of the reasons for this is that there is no consensus as to what it is that the Community is actually facing and how grave the problem is. This is not a refugee crisis but a massive modern-day mass migration in which refugees, economic migrants and individuals with ties to the Islamic State are equally present, the Minister added. Mass migration is a global problem, and therefore the solution, too, must be global. Europe did not play the main role in the international political decisions which led to the destabilisation of the Middle-East and North-African regions.

He stated: there will be no stability in the Middle-East and in North-Africa without the pragmatic cooperation of the transatlantic community and Russia. If Europe is unable to cooperate with Russia, there will be uncoordinated actions which will lead to even greater chaos, he said.

(MTI)