Hungary – similar to some other countries sharing its views, including Poland – will do everything it can to prevent the UN’s global compact for migration from becoming any kind of reference point in international law, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said in New York addressing the UN General Assembly’s session dealing with human rights issues.
“What we said last year – after Hungary, the United States, Poland, the Czech Republic, Israel and Brazil rejected the adoption of the global migration compact – has been proved right. It was clear already at the time that the UN, with the European Union’s support, will attempt to push through, bit by bit, that which fell through once before and was not adopted in full,” the Minister stressed. According to Mr Szijjártó, ever since six countries rejected the adoption of the compact in question last year the UN “has been effectively serially manufacturing” resolutions which make reference to the global migration compact and the global asylum compact, thereby continually attempting to render these two compacts a part of international law and a point of reference therein.
“Hungary’s position is clear: As the global migration compact as a whole cannot become a part of international law and cannot become a reference in international law, neither can its constituent parts,” Mr Szijjártó pointed out. He drew attention to the fact that the resolutions which the UN keeps “manufacturing” even now at the end of the year are practically about relativising border protection and turning it into a human rights issue. However, Hungary’s position is clear: Border protection is an issue of sovereignty and security, and the violation of borders, the facilitation of border breaches and finding excuses for border violators are not acceptable. These resolutions further incentivise migration, encouraging people to choose a country where they wish to live, and in order to get there to feel free to violate the borders of dozens of safe countries, he said.
“This is unacceptable for us. International law is clear: If a person is compelled to flee their country, they can proceed as far as the first safe country, and must stay there on a temporary basis until the circumstances for returning to their home country are restored. In contrast to this concept, the UN popularises and facilitates the idea that those who flee their own countries or leave their own countries for whatever reason should feel free to go to another corner of the world,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade stressed.
According to Mr Szijjártó, this is unacceptable because uncontrolled mass flows of migration pose a serious threat and a major security risk to the entire world, in particular to countries and regions which serve as transit routes for migrants. “Regrettably, we in Central Europe have some negative, sad experiences, and have also seen warning signs as also at present some one hundred thousand illegal immigrants are stuck in the Western Balkans, and it is evident that if these illegal immigrants set out, then this will also create an opportunity for terrorist organisations to spread and to export their extremist ideologies and terrorists globally and world-wide,” Mr Szijjártó warned in the UN.
(MTI)
