“The most effective way of fighting terrorism is to eradicate illegal migration”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó emphasised in Tirana on Thursday. The Minister gave an opening speech at an Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) forum in the Albanian capital.

From among the main challenges, the Minister highlighted mass, uncontrolled migration and terrorism, stressing that there is a strong link between mass illegal migration and terrorism. “The terrorists are exploiting the large numbers of migrants to send their fighters all over the world”, he stated.

Mr. Szijjártó pointed out that mass illegal migration processes have increased the threat of terrorism in Europe: “Over 30 attacks have been committed in Europe by people with migrant backgrounds since 2015”. “Terrorism if one of the main challenges in view of the fact that it does not stop at the borders of countries and cultures. We must unite our efforts against radicalism and extremism”, he declared.

“Instead of encouraging people to leave their homes, we must create the conditions to enable them to live a secure life and remain at home”, Mr. Szijjártó underlined. “It is the responsibility of the international community to not inspire illegal migration, but instead help people to be able to return to their homes”, he stated.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister said cooperation between the European Union and the Mediterranean region is vital. “Cooperation is also needed with the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, so they protect their borders and do not allow the migrants through, because that could lead to the further free movement of terrorists”, he added. “The security of Europe depends on the security of the Mediterranean region and North Africa”, Mr. Szijjártó declared.

“The Hungarian government professes that assistance must be take to where the problems are, instead of bringing the problems into Europe”, he pointed out. “It is in this spirit that Hungary has spent some 40 million dollars on assisting Christian communities, among others to rebuild houses and schools”, he said.

(MTI)