A V4 + Japan security policy seminar, organised by the Japanese Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Tokyo Embassies of the Visegrád Four and the Japanese Josai University, was held in Tokyo on 22 February 2017. The topic of the seminar this year was migration, and the presentation of the migration policies of the Member States and Japan.

Deputy State Secretary for the Southward Opening Szilveszter Bus, who represented Hungary at the event, presented in his lecture the impacts and challenges that Hungary has faced in recent years in consequence of migration, and the crisis management and preventive measures that the Hungarian Government has implemented in response. Mr Bus stressed: Hungary reserves the right to detain migrants who seek to enter the country illegally and refuse or avoid registration. Additionally, it is a fundamental issue of national sovereignty that Hungary and the Hungarian people alone have the right to decide whom they wish to live together with. Brussels cannot have a say in this.

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The Deputy State Secretary confirmed that Hungary is open to cooperation on every level, and urges sober, reasonable and effective European action for the management of the migration crisis which can only rest on the protection of the external borders as its starting point. He stressed that the transportation of problems to Europe is unacceptable. Instead, help and assistance must be taken to the countries which constitute the focal point of the problems.

Mr Bus spoke about the solidarity that exists among the Visegrád countries in words of praise, and additionally said that the positions of Hungary and Japan on the issue of migration are very similar as was reflected in the negotiations between Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida held in Tokyo last week.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)