“Thanks to the Government’s consistent security policy, the effort of tens of thousands of police officers and soldiers and the diligence of the authorities, Hungary’s security situation has developed in such a way that a British survey has chosen it as the world’s ninth safest travel destination”, Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister György Bakondi said in a statement to Hungarian news agency MTI on Tuesday.

Mr. Bakondi was reacting to the fact that British tabloid the Daily Star published a list of the world’s safest tourist destinations based on information from the British Foreign Office, in which Hungary was listed in ninth place. In addition to Hungary, the ten “peaceful and beautiful” travel destinations listed by the paper include Chile, Switzerland, Bhutan, Tuvalu, the Fiji Islands, New Zealand, Malta, Iceland and Ireland.

The Chief Security Advisor told MTI: “It is difficult to be wholeheartedly happy with the news in view of the fact that no other EU member states have been included on the list as a result of the continuously worsening security situation within the European Union”. Mr. Bakondi recalled that Islamism terrorist attacks had recently claimed lives in Barcelona, Berlin, London, Brussels, Paris, Nice, Stockholm and Helsinki, in addition to which crime in general is also on the increase.

The situation would be much better if the European Union took into account the Hungarian proposals and changed its migration policy, he explained. “Unfortunately there is no change and the EU continues to work on realising the ‘Soros plan’, distributing the migrants according to quotas and the establishment of the immigration agency, while keeping Hungary under political and legal pressure”, he added.

“There are three reasons why Hungary’s security situation has developed in this manner”, Mr. Bakondi stressed, highlighting first and foremost the Government’s consistent immigration policy and the fact that during the past three years the Government has consequently developed its migration policy while taking into account security, and with the support of a large majority of the population. Secondly, the Chief Security Advisor mentioned the tens of thousands of police and military personnel who have made a great effort over the past three years along our borders to enable the security of the country to be maintained, and thirdly the exemplary work of the various authorities, including the police, the Hungarian Defence Force, the Office of Immigration and Asylum, the Counter Terrorism Centre, the Constitutional Protection Office and the Information Office of the Republic of Hungary.

The Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister highlighted: “The Government’s intention continues to be that it will not bow to any form of pressure and regards the security of the Hungarian people as being of primary importance”. “The Government is monitoring the contradictory statements from various European and Hungarian opposition parties regarding migration policy and the demolition of the border security fence with concern”, he noted.

“In our view the security fence must not be demolished as long as the security situation makes it necessary”, he declared, adding that all reckless statements made during the election campaign are a risk to Hungary’s security, and accordingly to the safety of the people of Europe.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)