In Budapest on Tuesday, at a swearing-in ceremony for new police officers appointed in the second and third phases of Hungary’s border guard training course, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that the migrant flow has not come to an end but only slowed down; he stated that “Now, also, we are under siege”.
Although reports of people illegally crossing the borders no longer describe tens of thousands per day, but a few hundred, “we cannot afford to sit back”, he said. All that has happened, the Prime Minister said, is that “we have gained time between two major attacks” to reinforce lines of defence and recruit, train and deploy more border guards. He said that “the storm has not yet passed, but has only subsided temporarily”.
He stressed that in the next few years intense pressure on the borders will not come to an end, because there are still millions preparing to set out in the hope of a better life. However, those who want to come here do not want to live according to our culture and customs, he said, but according to their own – with the added benefit of European standards of living.
Mr. Orbán noted that on this issue Hungary cannot rely on the European Union. On the contrary, he said, “they just make our work harder”, and so “we can only rely on ourselves: we have to protect our borders ourselves”.
In his view, the migration crisis will continue until its basic causes are eliminated: “it will remain on the agenda until people everywhere realise that migration is the Trojan horse of terrorism”.
The Prime Minister said that protecting our homeland, our homes, our women, children and parents is a moral imperative stretching back many centuries, and this adds to the gravity and extremity of the current situation. He reminded the new officers joining the ranks of “modern-day border-fort garrisons” that their efforts and exemplary behaviour are a basic condition for the future peace of both Hungary and Europe. “You are now the defenders of both freedom for Hungary’s present and hope for Hungary’s future”, Mr. Orbán said.
He also asked them to be both firm and humane: enforcing the law to its full extent, while also following the dictates of humanity.
He stressed that the laws also apply to migrants who seek to cross the Hungarian border illegally: “this is the reality, and no beautifully-worded human rights bombast can override it”.
Mr. Orbán said that today Hungary is one of Europe’s safest countries. He stated that “If the world sees that we are able to protect our borders, if they see that the reinforced Hungarian border fence is impenetrable, if they see that we continue to insist on upholding our laws and do not waver for a second, then no one will attempt to come to Hungary illegally”. He observed that it is a legitimate expectation that entry to the territory of Hungary should only be allowed to those whose identities and motives have been established by the authorities.
“We Hungarians want a Europe in which we can live our own Hungarian lives. In the Hungary that we want, security is the foremost concern”, he said, adding in closing that this requires people who show dedication in defending the laws and interests of the country.
In addition to relatives of the 462 non-commissioned officers, the swearing-in event at Hungexpo in Budapest was attended by Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér and Minister of Defence István Simicskó.
Last August the Government decided to recruit a further three thousand police officers to augment border guard units. Recruitment began on 1 September.
Those involved in the first phase of border guard training took their oaths on 12 January this year. On that occasion Mr. Orbán said that border protection remains a national security issue of paramount importance.
(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)
