“The goal of the UN Global Compact for Migration is to legalise illegal immigration, which is totally unacceptable and violates the sovereignty of member states, including that of Hungary”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó declared at a press conference in Budapest on Thursday.
“According to the Government, the Global Compact is an extremely and biasedly pro-immigration document, which is both harmful and dangerous”, Mr. Szijjártó said.
“The UN is making the same mistake as the European Union, which wants to base its own migration policy on mandatory resettlement quotas. The UN Compact is more dangerous, however, because it is a global initiative, meaning it will have a greater effect than continental policy, and represents a risk to the whole world”, the Minister added.
“The main point of argument with relation to the Compact is whether or not it is mandatory, and in view of the fact that the document contains the word obligation on eighty occasions, the claim that it only includes recommendations is a false one”, Mr. Szijjártó declared.
As an example, he said that according to the document, countries must commit themselves to informing migrants with relation to migration routes and launch information campaigns for those who want to leave their homes. “They must also undertake to facilitate family reunification for migrants, and not punish migrants for cooperating with people smugglers, not even if they have crossed a border illegally, in addition to which they must also be obliged to provide migrants with the same services as received by the citizens of the given country”, Mr. Szijjártó listed.
“A legally not binding document would not prescribe the establishment of national action plans, and accordingly it is ‘clearer than day’ that, just like the originally voluntary mandatory quota, the Global Compact for Migration will become a point of reference, mandatory, and the basis for international judicial decisions”, the Minister said.
“This is why Hungary decided to not even take part in the adoption process, thus making it clear that it does not regard the document as binding in any way and in any form with regard to Hungary”, he stated.
“There are also major efforts in Europe to create mixed societies, and for nations to distance themselves from their own identities culturally, with relation to their heritage, and religiously”, he said. “But we, for instance, would like to keep calling Christmas Christmas, and to continue to celebrate as we have always done so”, Mr. Szijjártó said.
Eight countries have decided not to support the Compact, which according to the state of the current situation, the UN General Assembly will vote on before the end of this year, and Hungary will be voting no”, the Minister said.
In reply to a question, Mr. Szijjártó responded to the statement by Macedonian Justice Minister Renata Deskoska with relation to the case of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, according to which so far Hungary has had no problems extraditing people to Macedonia and has never questioned the decisions of the Macedonian justice system.
Mr. Szijjártó said that Hungary has always refrained from commenting on the internal affairs of other countries, unless with relation to measures against Hungarian minorities or attacks against Hungary. “Accordingly, Hungary has also not commented on the domestic political situation in Macedonia, despite the fact that it does have an opinion on the matter, and it expects others to respect Hungarian decisions in a similar manner”, he added.
He noted, however, that in its latest report on Macedonia, the European Commission expressed its concern that there is a danger of political influence with relation to the justice system and court procedures conducted there, while the Council of Europe wrote that prison conditions in Macedonia are such that human rights are not respected, access to healthcare services and other necessary items is a question of money, and conditions are violent”, Mr. Szijjártó said.
He highlighted the fact that the decision on affording Mr. Gruevski asylum status was not made by the Hungarian Government, but by the authority tasked with processing such requests, which operates independently from the Government.
“Hungary will continue to support the Macedonians in their European and Euro-Atlantic integration processes”, he added.
Mr. Szijjártó also reacted to the Twitter message posted by European Commissioner for Enlargement Negotiations and Neighbourhood Policy Johannes Hahn on Wednesday, in which the Commissioner said it was surprising that Hungary is supporting Macedonia’s accession to the European Union, but doesn’t regard Macedonia as a safe country.
In response, the Minister said Johannes Hahn would do better to keep quiet with relation to the Western Balkans, since he has performed “outrageously” in his role as Commissioner. “His task would have been to accelerate the European integration process of the Western Balkan countries, but instead only one of these countries will perhaps have a chance to join the EU in 2025”, he said.
“This is one of the poorest performances in the European Commission, and so instead of expressing a lack of understanding, Johannes Hahn would do better to concentrate on his job”, Mr. Szijjártó declared.
In reaction to a statement by German Minister of State for Europe Michel Roth, according to which the right to asylum isn’t there “to be handed out by heads of government to their buddies who are fleeing the penal system”, he said: “There’s nothing new under the sun”; there has never been a question relating to Hungary about which he hasn’t had “some fantastically wise” opinion, and as usually he is once again voicing his opinion on affairs about which he has no idea.
(MTI/Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
