“The European Commission’s approach to migration processes and the high level of pressure it is applying in the interests of encouraging them is further increasing the risk posed by immigration”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said following a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.

In a statement to Hungarian reporters, Mr. Szijjártó stressed that events in Libya have unforeseeable consequences, and even the international community is divided with relation to the evaluation of the processes occurring there. “The at least two million migrants in the area, as well as Libyans who are already in a difficult situation, could being moving towards Europe at any moment”, he stated.

“Terrorist organisations have a marked presence and influence in Afghanistan, in addition to which the outcome of negotiations with the Taliban is also uncertain, and the official government’s approach to and participation in the talks is also unclear”, Mr. Szijjártó said. “Accordingly, the uncertain situation in Afghanistan and the events in Libya both represent a major migration risk to Europe”, the Hungarian Minister highlighted.

“However, instead of stopping migration, Greek EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos has set as a goal the legalisation of migration, and his measures are resulting exclusively in more migrants arriving in the European Union”, he added. According to Mr. Szijjártó, with relation to the UN Global Compact for Migration, what is happening on the part of the European Union is nothing other than a continuous attempt to legalise migration processes. “What the European Commission is saying means that even more immigrants must be brought into Europe”, he stated.

“This is unacceptable to Hungary, because it means Europe’s self-surrender, in addition to which it represents a major cultural and security risk with relation to Europe’s future”, the Minister declared. “If this political approach continues to prevail on the part of the European Commission, the renewed threat of civil war in Libya, the uncertain situation in Afghanistan, the migrants who have accumulated in the Western Balkans and the aggressive behaviour recently seen in Greece will lead to the launch of new waves of mass migration”, he emphasised. “Hungary wants to stop these processes, not legalise them. The dispute with relation to this issue will be decided at the European Parliament elections scheduled for the end of May”, the Minister underlined.

On the subject of Ukraine and the language and minority education acts, Mr. Szijjártó highlighted: “There is no hope of progress with the current administration”. He said the fact that President of the Hungarian Cultural Association in Transcarpathia (RMDSZ) Hunor Kelemen was not allowed entry to Ukraine on Saturday while on the way to attend the 30th anniversary celebrations of the organisation’s founding was yet another provocation. “The step is a provocation against the Hungarians and Romanians, which is no accident, since the Romanian and Hungarian governments took the most determined stand in the interests of defending their own national communities living within the territory of Ukraine”, he said. The Minister expressed his hope that following the Ukrainian presidential elections not only will there be a Ukrainian-friendly government in Hungary, bust a Hungarian-friendly administration will also be established in Ukraine.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)