Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó spoke to Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini by telephone on Monday evening, Minister of State for Communication Tamás Menczer told Hungarian news agency MTI on Tuesday morning.

During the conversation, Mr. Szijjártó explained that the Hungarian Government appreciates the new Italian Government’s clear commitment to restoring the security of Europe and the European people. “With its latest decision the Italian Government has clearly proven that Europe’s borders, including its maritime borders, can indeed be protected and that the operations of people smugglers can be prevented”, he pointed out.

The measures introduced by the Italian Government “highlight even more clearly the ineffectiveness of Brussels’ immigration policy, which over the past three and a half years has been incapable of establishing the capacities necessary to ensure the protection of European borders, and which has continuously attacked those who spoke openly about the security risks associated with migration”, he stressed.

On Saturday, a French NGO’s rescue ship, the Aquarius, saved hundreds of migrants from the water and set out towards Italy with 629 potential asylum-seekers on board, but Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini banned the ship from putting into port in Italy, stating that it should go to Malta, which is closer to Africa. Valetta also refused to allow the vessel to dock, however, citing the fact that Saturday’s rescue mission had occurred with the coordination of the Italian authorities.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)