The EU must without delay set up a European force which is capable of protecting the borders of Greece, and further, the EU should finance refugee camps in some countries in the Middle-East, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Thursday in Budapest.

Péter Szijjártó highlighted at his press conference held jointly with Interior Minister Sándor Pintér and Dimitris Avramopoulos, EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship: on behalf of the Hungarian Government, he proposed that the EU set up a European force for the protection of the Greek borders. To this end, Hungary is prepared to make a national contribution, and would provide police and military personnel as well as funds.

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He added: it is in the best interests of those coming from war zones to wait for the end of the war as close to their homes as possible, and the EU should therefore take over the funding of refugee camps in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, and could even set up new camps, should the need arise. It is in these instances that we must apply quotas because they make sense, Mr Szijjártó stressed. If no solution is found outside the EU, there will be no solution at all to the crisis, he said.

The Foreign Minister takes the view that the common refugee system was not prepared – and indeed, could not have been prepared – for this mass migration, the simultaneous arrival of refugees and economic migrants, including migrants who refuse to comply with the international regulations and to cooperate.

The Minister believes that this will be a long-term crisis which has inexhaustible reserves: people in the magnitude of tens of millions.

Mr Szijjártó also spoke about the international reactions to the events which took place at Hungary’s southern border on Wednesday. It is "bizarre and shocking" the way some actors of international politics and the international media presented the events, and the way some esteemed actors of international politics sided with the migrants who were throwing stones and pieces of concrete at the police for hours, he said.

Those who made statements in this vein encouraged these people, and will be responsible if these events recur, he pointed out, and added: irresponsible statements have lead to the EU’s gravest challenges, such as the one we are facing now.

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The Minister highlighted: no matter how much criticism is levelled at Hungary, Hungary will never allow such aggressive people to enter its territory, not even to transit through it. Hungary will protect its borders despite any amount of shocking reactions from the realm of international politics, he stated.

Dimitris Avramopoulos asked Hungary to continue to cooperate with the EU, in order to find a common and long-term solution to the present crisis because it will not be resolved any time soon.

The EU Commissioner reiterated his earlier statement that „Hungary is not alone”. He stressed the importance of solidarity which, as he said, is a fundamental principle of the EU.

Every European country is experiencing difficult times, and by shifting the problem from one country to the next, we are not going to solve it, he said, and added: these times put the EU to the test, and it is up to the Member States to find a solution together.

He remarked: they do not always agree with the methods adopted by Hungary, and the „walls” only offer a temporary solution as they serve the purpose of diverting the flood of migrants in another direction. There is no wall that cannot be climbed, and there is no sea that cannot be crossed if one is faced with violence, he said. The Commissioner pointed out that those who need it must be given international protection, as this is also a Christian duty.

Sándor Pintér stressed: Hungary is ready to cooperate, and only a common European response is able to rise to this challenge. The Interior Minister said it is obvious that a country on its own is unable to cope with this problem, and therefore an appropriate path and a common solution must be found.

The Interior Minister told the press that there are a great number of people who arrive as refugees because there are armed conflicts in their countries, and they risk their lives. At the same time, it causes severe problems that illegal migrants in very large numbers have joined these people as economic migrants in the hope of exploiting the refugee status, he explained.

The Interior Minister thanked the European Union for its support, and added: Hungary has spent more than EUR 200 million on the protection of its external borders and the care provided for refugees.

He stressed: Hungary would like to protect the external borders of the EU in order to preserve the internal borders, and thereby one of the greatest achievements of the Community, the freedom of travel.

After the press conference, Dimitris Avramopoulos will visit the Bicske reception centre in the company of Interior Minister Sándor Pintér and Zsuzsanna Végh, Director General of the Office of Immigration and Nationality.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)