In just one day, the Croatian immigration system has collapsed, and therefore a state of crisis due to mass migration will be declared in Baranya and Somogy Counties and the construction of the physical border fence will begin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade said at his extraordinary press conference held in Budapest on Thursday evening.

Péter Szijjártó reiterated that more than 200,000 illegal migrants had arrived in Hungary in just eight and a half months this year, and while the country is meeting its obligations under international conventions and EU law at the expense of the gravest difficulties, it finds itself in the crossfire of international attacks.

Only last week, the Croatian Prime Minister slandered Hungary, instead of preparing for the migrants. The Croatian migration agencies have lost control over the processes taking place in their country, and instead of providing care for and registering migrants, they send them on to Hungary, the Minister said.

„We are going to protect Hungary, and the borders of Hungary and the Schengen zone”, Mr Szijjártó stressed.

He added that after the necessary preparations, the construction of the physical border fence will also begin at the Croatian-Hungarian border.

Mr Szijjártó told the press that he had informed the Austrian Foreign Minister of the latest developments, and he will travel to Belgrade on Friday in order to have talks with his Serbian counterpart and the Serbian Interior Minister.

At the meeting, he will demonstrate that this is not the problem of two countries, but a European problem, and further that cooperation between Hungary and Serbia is impeccable, and the two countries are making joint attempts to rise to the challenges, he added.

The Foreign Minister further told the press that Minister of State László Szabó summoned the Croatian Ambassador to the Ministry on Thursday, and told him that his country’s procedure is unacceptable.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister stressed: the era of hypocrisy and double talk must come to an end.

He added: Croatia would like to join the Schengen zone, but is evidently not suitable. It has yet a lot of preparations to make, and it will take many years before it becomes fit to join the zone.

The Foreign Minister also said that, according to the information of the local population, the Croatian police are diverting migrants on the Croatian-Hungarian border sections towards Hungary.

In answer to a journalist’s question, Mr Szijjártó added: at this point in time, only the preparations for a physical border fence are on the agenda regarding the Romanian-Hungarian-Serbian triple border section.

Romania is not yet under migration pressure; it is not yet being tested by migrants, the Minister said.

(MTI)