The head of the Prime Minister’s Office takes the view that if the Hungarian Government were to give up on compliance with the obligations under the Schengen Agreement, this would automatically result in Hungary finding itself outside the Schengen borders. János Lázár also said at his press conference held on Thursday in Budapest that the Government is seeking the assistance of German diplomats in Hungary.
The Minister reiterated repeatedly: if Hungary is unable to comply with the Schengen regulations, it will be left out. As he pointed out, Austria only implemented increased border surveillance on Monday and Tuesday, and this is nothing compared with Vienna reinstating the Schengen border control procedures. It is Hungary’s EU obligation to protect its own borders and those of the EU, „and this is not something we can compromise on”, the Minister stated.
The Government will request the diplomats of the German Embassy in Budapest to go to the Keleti Railway Station and inform the illegal migrants stationed there of Germany’s position. It is not enough to describe in detail what applicants should do on the website of the Embassy, he pointed out, adding: if the diplomats refused to go to the site, migrants should go to the German Embassy, should satisfy themselves of the procedure, and should attempt to apply for a German visa.
Mr Lázár argued that the reason for the situation which has evolved at the Keleti Railway Station is that Germany promised refugees from Syria unlimited entry more than a week ago, „invited them to share the well-laid table", and this is what induced hope on their part. In his view, the German Government has committed masses of communication blunders: one day they enticed migrants, while the next day they obliged them to undergo the standard control protocol.
On Sunday, the Government requested assistance from the German Ministry of the Interior, he continued, and said: it is typical of the German position that the Minister told Ambassador József Czukor to allow 250-300 people to board the trains and not to tell the press. The reason migrants have been increasingly impatient and aggressive and have refused to cooperate with the Hungarian authorities since Sunday is that the German Government is not communicating its message clearly and explicitly, he explained.
The Minister also stressed: the Hungarian position is that Europe cannot give up on the protection of its borders. Mr Lázár described the situation which has evolved as a mass migration crisis, and pointed out that 5-6 countries are carrying the burdens of Europe’s border protection. He stated: Hungary respects the decision if some country wishes to shelter refugees, but we do not need them here. „If Hungary sought to address a shortage of labour or a demographic deficit, we can attend to these problems by means of Hungarians as Hungary is the country which neighbours itself”, the Minister said.
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The head of the Prime Minister’s Office takes the view that the old EU Member States are blackmailing the new ones in the interest of the introduction of the immigration quota system. Mr Lázár told the press that the reason for the Friday meeting of the Visegrád Four is that there is a marked difference between the old and the new Member States regarding the assessment of the situation, and the countries of Central-Europe rely on one another’s help.
The Minister said: it is telling that the Slovak Prime Minister praised the measures taken by Hungary, and also agreed that the countries of the region had not even been able to resolve the integration of the indigenous Roma population to date. He found the „process of exclusion” launched against Hungary unfair, unjust and harmful, and rejected the statements conceived in Western-Europe concerning Hungary’s border surveillance activities.
He found it shocking that Austria should attempt to force Member States to adopt the quota system with the suspension of EU grants. This will lead to political conflicts, and will turn the different parts of Europe against one another. Mr Lázár reminded members of the press at his press conference Governmentinfo of the decision of the Hungarian Railway Company MÁV, based on which it will suspend its services from Budapest to Western-Europe because it is unable to guarantee the safety of transport and passengers, or that those buying tickets will reach their destination.
However, the Minister told the press: the authorities will carry out the necessary inspections related to our Schengen obligations between Budapest and the Hungarian-Austrian border, and the police will continuously monitor the domestic services, such as the services to Győr, which are west-bound. He also stressed: the duty of the police is not to perform acts of violence but to protect the country.
At the same time, the politician called upon migrants to observe the laws of Hungary and the regulations of the EU, to register with the immigration authority, and to submit their applications if they are refugees. According to Mr Lázár, the majority of migrants refuse to cooperate today. This refusal includes participation in the health care screening tests, which he finds gives rise to concern.
Regarding the entry into force of the government and Fidesz-KDNP proposals relating to the management of mass migration which is currently before the House, he said that „we have a grace period until 15 September”. He remarked: the Prime Minister instructed the Justice Minister to investigate – based on human rights concerns – how the Cabinet’s intentions can be best regulated in accurate terms.
In the Minister’s view, the illegal border-crossing data shows that Europe is experiencing its most severe crisis since the Balkan Wars which is directly affecting Hungary as well. Mr Lázár said: the situation at the Keleti Railway Station, too, proves that there is very much a case for the security border fence on the southern border. In a case to the contrary, hundreds of thousands would continue to arrive in Hungary uncontrolled, and as a result, incidents similar to that which occurred at the railway station could take place any time, anywhere.
At the same time, the Minister requested politicians and members of the press to stop attacking the more than 10 thousand state employees – members of the police and defence forces, public administration workers – on political grounds as these people take part in the resolution of migrants’ affairs well beyond what should be expected of them. He added: the Government accepts all responsibility, and is ready to face public criticisms.
(Prime Minister's Office/MTI)
