According to Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, German Minister of Justice Heiko Maas made a “harsh and false attack” against Hungary in an interview published in Saturday’s edition of German news magazine Der Spiegel.

In a statement issued to Hungarian news agency MTI by the Ministry on Saturday, Mr. Szijjártó reacted to statements by Mr. Maas according to whom “Hungary didn’t even give the refugees food and water, while Prime Minister Viktor Orbán threatened to evacuate them by force” and “Many people are fleeing from war, torture and violence, but Viktor Orbán doesn’t want to accept a single Muslim refugee”.

In his response, Mr. Szijjártó wrote. “Lies and unfounded accusations are unworthy of a European politician”. Last year, Hungary provided food and accommodation to 400 thousand illegal immigrants at receiving stations in accordance with international law. Unfortunately the illegal immigrants “became increasingly aggressive”, refused to cooperate with the authorities and “arbitrarily occupied Budapest’s Keleti Station”, he added. This is unacceptable, in his view.

These people are not refugees but illegal economic immigrants, he stated, highlighting the fact that 30-35 million people living in the neighbourhood of Europe could potentially decide to set out for Europe at any time.

Hungary does not accept illegal economic immigrants, the Minister stressed. “Our duty isn’t to give these people a new life in Europe, but to help them return to their old lives in their own homelands”, the statement reads.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)