“The police are prepared to handle the situation caused by mass migration along the Croatian-Hungarian border”, the Government Spokesperson said on Friday in Szeged.

Zoltán Kovács told reporters: the Hungarian authorities are trying to prevent masses of illegal migrants from reaching the internal territory of the European Union via Hungary, using similar means to those applied along the border with Serbia. “In addition to Csongrád and Bács-Kiskun Counties, the Government has declared a state of emergency caused by mass migration in four further counties: Baranya, Somogy, Zala and Vas”, the Spokesperson pointed out.

Mr. Kovács declared that the Croatian refugee management system had collapsed within a single day, while “we have been standing our ground for months now”. “Over 200 thousand migrants have arrived in Hungary so far this year, and over 172 thousand of them have applied for asylum”, he added.

With relation to the border crossing stations at Röszke and Ásotthalom, which are temporarily closed, the Government Spokesperson said that it is in the fundamental interests of both countries for road traffic to recommence as soon as possible, but the Hungarian authorities must receive a guarantee with regard to the fact that Serbian police are capable of keeping migrants away from the border crossing points.

György Bakondi, the Prime Minister’s Chief Advisor on Homeland Security, told the press that the country was doing everything in its power to protect its borders and those of the Schengen Area. “The redeployment of forces to the Croatian border is already underway; six hundred soldiers have already arrived, the arrival of a further five hundred is expected on Friday and seven hundred will begin construction of a temporary border security fence over the weekend. The fence will be completed as early as Friday on a 41km stretch along the most endangered section of the border”, the Chief Advisor said.

“Two hundred police officers have already been sent to the area as reinforcements, with a further one hundred and five hundred police officers, respectively, set to arrive at the Hungarian-Croatian border on Friday and over the weekend”, Mr. Bakondi told reporters.

(Prime Minister's Office)