Europe will not be able to carry the burdens of migration alone, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated in New York on Wednesday, urging the UN Secretary General to initiate talks on the global distribution of burdens and the setting up of a global quota system.
At the same time, as a Christian the Hungarian prime minister called upon everyone to prevent the spread of an anti-Muslim atmosphere.
In a speech delivered in English at a high-level UN meeting on migration, the Prime Minister said that, unless there is a change in current trends, mass immigration will destabilise Europe.
“Various estimates exist, but according to our understanding there is an unlimited source of supply of people. It is not a theory but a fact: at the Hungarian borders they are coming from Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and, most recently, from the Sub-Saharan region”, he stated.
The Prime Minister believes that Europe will not be able to carry the burdens of this process alone, and therefore “All major stakeholders of international politics will have to take some of the migrants to their countries as part of a global quota system”.
Mr Orbán takes the view that those who have decided to leave their homes “are victims of the poor governance of their countries” and “of failed international political decisions, which led to war-torn regions”.
He added that “They are victims of the failed policy of us in Europe, which raises expectations that are impossible to be fulfilled. And they are victims of human trafficking, which has become a robust business, an untold story”.
The Prime Minister stressed that it is our moral responsibility to give back their homes and countries to these people.
“It cannot be our objective to provide them with a new European life. We must assist them to regain their own life in their home. To achieve this, we have to create peace and a plan of economic development in their home countries”, he pointed out.
The Prime Minister drew the attention of those at the meeting to the fact that he comes from a Christian country, and stressed that “the Christian approach does not tolerate any anti-Muslim policy”.
“The Muslim faith, which we honour and respect, is not responsible for the root causes of this mass migratory movement. I invite you all to join our efforts to avoid the spread of anti-Muslim sentiments”, Mr Orbán stated.
With reference to the UN’s new sustainable development goals approved last week, the Prime Minister pointed out that “migration must be orderly, safe, regulated and responsible”.
(Prime Minister's Office/MTI)
