“The countries of the Visegrád group (V4) are drawing up a programme relating to supporting Tunisia in the development of border protection”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI from Prague.

The Minister explained that he had held a telephone discussion with his Tunisian counterpart, Khemaies Jhinaoui, after the foreign ministers of the Visegrád Group (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, the V4) agreed on Thursday to draw up a development programme similar to the existing V4 development programme for Libya, in which it will be providing assistance to North African countries in the interests of developing their border protection capabilities, so that these countries can protect their own borders from waves of migration and become neither transit nor source countries of migration processes.

He said the V4 was primarily examining two countries with relation to the new programme, and cooperation opportunities with Morocco and Tunisia. “These countries have already done much to preserve their stability, and are thus helping to maintain European security”, he pointed out.

“It is no exaggeration to state that Europe’s security begins in North Africa, because it is of key importance with relation to Europe’s security that the commencement of new waves of migration from the region is prevented”, the Foreign Minister explained. “Tunisia has been an extremely dependable partner in this to date”, he explained.

(MTI)