The migration policies of the Italian and Hungarian governments are identical on a number of points, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the Hungarian news agency MTI on Thursday in Rome after he met with his Italian counterpart Enzo Moavero Milanesi.
The Hungarian government cooperates with everyone who shares the view that the number one priority is to stop illegal immigration and to protect the borders, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said. He added that the Hungarian government continues to believe that migrants should not be distributed among EU Member States, but should be stopped from arriving in Europe.
He stressed that the position of the new Italian government and the new Interior Minister Matteo Salvini coincides with that of the Hungarian government on a number of points. “We agree that the root causes must be eliminated, and we must make it clear that people can only enter Europe in compliance with the relevant European rules, and no one is allowed to enter illegally”, Mr Szijjártó said.
He informed MTI that his Italian colleague confirmed the Hungarian government’s position that the protection of the borders must take priority over all other issues in the management of the migration crisis, and the EU must regain its ability to protect its own borders. He observed that Australia has already proved that sea borders, too, can be protected. Regarding the meeting due to be held on Friday in Brussels where ministers of Member States responsible for EU affairs will have talks about ports and migrant groups arriving at ports in boats, Mr Szijjártó said we must make it clear that only those may enter European ports, too, who are allowed to do so legally. “We must not yield to any blackmail: either to people smugglers, or to the pressure of so-called NGOs.
We must put an end to the situation that people board the boats of people smugglers at the shores of Africa in the certain knowledge that they will be let into Europe”, he stressed. Mr Szijjártó said that with Matteo Salvini he also spoke about Ukraine’s “unacceptable” behaviour regarding national minorities. He asked the Italian government to support Hungary which is seeking to put pressure on Ukraine – also presenting its case at international forums – to meet its international obligations and “to give back the rights it has taken away from Hungarians”.
In the context of the collapsed Genoa motorway bridge, Mr Szijjártó told his Italian colleague that should they require any assistance in any stage of the reconstruction works, Hungary is ready to share its experience and technology. Mr Szijjártó highlighted that Italy is Hungary’s fourth largest trade partner, and is ranked third on the Hungarian export market, representing more than 5 billion euros’ worth of Hungarian goods and services annually. Mr Szijjártó visited the Italian capital on the occasion of the conference of the International Catholic Legislators Network.
(MTI)
