“The refugees are not seeking political asylum in Europe, but have instead left their home countries in the hope of a better life”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán declared in an interview with Austrian public media network ORF. An edited version of the conversation was published on Sunday night.

“We respect Austria and we respect its elected leaders; we cannot and do not wish to give them advice”, Mr. Orbán said, stressing that he is concentrating on the protection of Hungary’s southern border.

“Hungary is adhering to international regulations. The authorities are attempting to make every immigrant register in Hungary using the force of law – as is required by international law. However, those who do not want to register, but instead want to immediately travel on to other countries, cannot be forced to request asylum status in Hungary”, the Prime Minister stated. In reply to a question from the reporter, Mr. Orbán declared that he is protecting Europe, while adhering to European regulations.

“The same cannot be said for Greece, and this is one of the reasons the problem has shifted north to Hungary and Austria”, the Prime Minister explained.

With regard to the Hungarians received by Austria in 1956, he stated that if the current system were like the Austrian system at that time, the current problems would not exist.

“Then, Hungarian refugees could not walk the streets of Vienna without refugee permits and were collected in camps, where they were treated properly and could submit their requests with regard to where they would like to go; and when places in third countries were available, the refugees were allowed to travel on. But they had to remain in the camps until the end of the processing procedure”, the Prime Minister said.

In relation to a quota system for refugees, Mr. Orbán declared that it will be worth talking about quotas after Europe’s borders are closed and illegal immigration is successfully halted; but the order of things must not be inverted.

“Europe’s external borders must be closed, in parallel with which Germany and Austria must clearly state that they will not receive any more immigrants”, the Prime Minister said, stressing that otherwise he believes millions of refugees will come to Europe.

“According to the law, the EU’s external border may not be crossed without valid documents; despite this, Austria has let in the migrants – most of whom are economic migrants – without hindrance”, the Prime Minister said. “Hungary has the financial and policing resources needed to accommodate and care for every single refugee”, he stressed.

“The problem isn’t here in Hungary”, Mr. Orbán said, pointing out that the migrants are not looking for a safe haven, but want to be refugees in Germany.

“There will be no need to use firearms on Hungary’s southern border, because soon we will complete construction of the border security fence, which cannot be crossed; those attempting to break through will be arrested and subject to legal proceedings”, the Prime Minister stated.

(Prime Minister's Office, MTI)