Martin Schulz, the President of the German Social Democratic Party (SDP) is not aware of the most basic facts, and continually stabs Hungary in the back even while it also protects all German citizens, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in response to an interview given by the German party president to the newspaper Bild on Friday.

Martin Schulz told the German newspaper that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is pursuing a dangerous logic in refugee policy. As he said, Hungary and Poland –  “more recently with Austria’s support” – pretend as if the issue of refugees were solely the business of the Germans which is unacceptable.

The politician said it is also unacceptable that while a few EU Member States are making major efforts, others are not prepared to take in a single refugee.

Speaking to the Hungarian news agency MTI Mr Szijjártó said they were hoping that Martin Schulz’s sense of reality will return with his physical return “from the Brussels bubble to German reality”.

“This hope has, however, been proved definitively groundless. Martin Schulz is not aware of the most basic facts. At the same time, he is in a convenient position because he is a national of a country which enjoys the benefits of the fact that Hungary is protecting the external borders of the Schengen Area by making enormous efforts and enforcing European law. Martin Schulz is therefore continually stabbing Hungary in the back, the very country which is also protecting all German citizens”, the Minister stated.

He added that to date Hungary has spent one billion euros on protecting the external borders of the European Union and the Schengen Area.

“The European Commission refused to even partially reimburse this sum, despite the fact that the Hungarian border protection effort also serves to protect Germany and the whole of the European Union. So there is a lack of solidarity on the part of the European Union, rather than on the part of Hungary”, Mr Szijjártó highlighted. He stressed that Hungary takes in all refugees on the basis of the provisions of international law, but clearly refuses to take in economic migrants and illegal immigrants.

“By adopting this stance, Hungary is taking on a much greater burden than the burden that would be imposed by the completely unreasonable quotas”, he pointed out.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade observed: “Hungary has never given in to the temptation of celebrating legal chaos and anarchy, Hungary has always observed European law”.

“At the same time we must also point out that the Central European countries, including Hungary, reject Martin Schulz’s plans for building an empire, and continue to stand by a strong European Union that is based on the foundations of strong and free European nations”, Mr Szijjártó said.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)