“It is in the fundamental interests of Vojvodina Hungarians for there to be good relations between Serbia and Hungary in view of the fact that they have already experienced what it is like when relations between their native country and the country that serves as their place of residence is bad, and also what it’s like when they are good”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on Tuesday in an interview for Pannon RTV television in Subotica (Szabadka, Serbia).

“One of the fundamental philosophies of Hungarian national policy is that ‘we in Budapest shouldn’t be the ones to state what’s good for Vojvodina Hungarians, that’s something that the Vojvodina Hungarians will tell us’, and the task of the Hungarian Government is to help them achieve what they themselves feel to be important”, he highlighted. “In the interests of doing so, the Government always asks for the opinion of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (VMSZ), and on such occasions the leaders of the largest Hungarian party in the region tell us things like there should be an economic development programme, that Budapest should forge good relations with the Serbian Government, that we should have diplomatic representations and the like, and the Government then accepts these proposals”, he added.

“VMSZ leaders always ask that we strive to maintain balanced relations with Belgrade and good relations with the Serbian Government”, the Minister emphasised, before repeating his earlier statement according to which never before during the course of history have relations between Serbia and Hungary been as good as they are today. “This is partly due to the fact that both countries have nationally-orientated governments that view national minorities not as a burden, but as a resource”, he underlined, noting that the Serbian Government and the Serbian President both view the Hungarian community in Vojvodina as something that links Serbia to Hungary and to the European Union, and regard them as a resource that could be the foundation of a joint success story for the two countries.

On Tuesday, Mr. Szijjártó officially opened the new border crossing station between Bácsszentgyörgy and Rastina (Haraszti), with relation to which he said: “All countries have a duty to defend their own borders; a country that is no longer capable of protecting its borders is no longer a country”. He stressed that in future people will continue to only be able to cross Hungary’s border in accordance with regulations, and those who attempt to cross the border illegally will not be allowed into the country. “We do not agree with the United Nations when it says that illegally crossing a border is not a crime, but simply an administrative issue. We think that illegally crossing a border is one of the most serious crimes that can be committed against a country’s sovereignty, and accordingly we will continue to erect fences and introduce strict border security measures against people who want to cross Hungary’s borders illegally, but we are opening several new border crossing stations for people who want to cross from one country to another with good intentions and while respecting the law”, the Minister explained. The new border crossing station between Bácsszentgyörgy and Rastina is the eighth border crossing point along the 164-kilometre Hungarian-Serbian border.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade pointed out that migration has become the number one political topic in every European country, as was also evident during the most recent parliamentary elections in Austria and Italy, for instance. “In both countries, the elections were won by parties that practice strongly anti-immigration politics”, he underlined. He drew attention to the fact that there are several debates going on in world politics with relation to the future of immigration policy. The UN is debating the Compact for Migration, while the European Union is currently discussing the mandatory resettlement quota. “Hungary’s position is clear: Only we, the Hungarians, can decide with whom we want to live in our own homeland and about who we do or do not allow into Hungary”, Mr. Szijjártó declared. “The Hungarian Government will not allow anybody to raise the non-existent human right to migration to a more important level than the right of the Hungarian people to live in safety”, he continued. “It is a fundamental human right to be able to live in security in one’s own home, but it is not a fundamental human right to suddenly decide to set out for another country and to cross borders illegally and travel over hedge and ditch in the interests of getting there”, the Minister explained.

“During the past three years, the lives of 330 people in the European Union have been claimed in 28 terrorist attacks committed by people with immigrant backgrounds who either arrived with the wave of migration in 2015, or who came to Europe earlier, but were incapable of becoming integrated”, he highlighted. “In view of this, who in their right mind would state that migration is good, that migration is useful, and that migration should be increased? I think that it will eventually also become clear to politicians in Western Europe that it is impossible to state things like ‘the threat of terrorism is part and parcel of living in a big city’ without consequences”, Mr. Szijjártó underlined.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)