The Czech, Polish and Slovakian head of government have stood by Hungary in a joint statement, which the Prime Ministers of the four Visegrád countries adopted at an extraordinary meeting on the migration situation held in Prague on Friday. The Heads of Government once again rejected proposals for compulsory immigration quotas.
“Hungary is one of the countries most under pressure from the wave of migration and most affected by its consequences. Accordingly, the heads of government of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia once again assure Hungary of their full support in its endeavours to overcome this challenge. As a sign of their solidarity, the heads of government are willing to provide further assistance to Hungary”, the joint declaration states, the text of which was made public in Prague following the meeting.
“The Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia have assured Hungary of their full support with regard to the massive migration pressure the country is currently under”, Czech Prime Minster Bohuslav Sobotka declared at the press conference following the summit.
“The Friday meeting of the Visegrád Four in Prague was extremely important for Hungary”, the Hungarian Prime Minister said in his press statement.
Viktor Orbán thanked the Prime Ministers of Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia for the solidarity they have expressed, and stressed that there will also be a need to express this support in concrete form in future.
The Prime Minister also expressed his appreciation for the Slovakian Minister of Interior’s Friday statement according to which the Czech Republic and Slovakia are prepared to establish a rail corridor through which migrants can reach Germany from Hungary.
“This, however, requires a statement from Germany regarding the fact that it is willing to admit the refugees and is willing to give them visas”, Viktor Orbán said in reply to a question from Hungarian news agency MTI.
At the press conference, the Prime Minister stressed that friends come in very handy in such a difficult situation and the joint statement adopted in Prague is an excellent and important document that expresses Hungary’s endeavours.
Prime Minster of Poland Ewa Kopacz stressed at the joint press conference that her country stands behind European solidarity and will not turn its back on its European partners, nor on those who have risked their lives to successfully reach Europe.
Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico declared that the preservation of the Schengen system is in the interests of the Visegrád Group.
“The current migration crisis is a pan-European problem that must be solved at European level through common efforts”, the heads of government of the four Visegrád countries emphasised in their joint declaration.
In the document, the Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia also expressed their grief for the victims of the wave of migration and called for the problems of refugees to be handled where they arise. Furthermore, the parties feel it is also necessary to reinforce the external borders of the Schengen Area.
The Heads of Government once again rejected the idea of compulsory immigration quotas, as proposed by Brussels, because in their view this concept would solve nothing.
(MTI)
