Szijjarto: Hungary, Dominican Republic in ‘alliance against illegal migrants’

“While the international liberal mainstream says that migration is good and only has beneficial effects … we who directly face the challenges … know that migration poses a danger rather than opportunities, and could seriously impact national security,” the foreign ministry quoted Peter Szijjarto as saying.

Migration poses security risks such as “an increase in the threat of terrorism, spreading organised crime, a proliferation of drug trafficking or, as seen in Western Europe, the emergence of parallel societies,” Szijjarto said, calling for international cooperation on the part of “countries that directly face the dramatic effects of illegal migration”.

“Migration is not a human right … a human right for everybody is that they should be ensured a peaceful and secure life in their own country,” he said.

“Nobody can strip Hungary or the Dominican Republic of their sovereign right to determine whom they wish to grant permission to cross their borders,” he said.

Neither Hungary nor the Dominican Republic supported the global migration pact in the United Nations, Szijjarto noted, adding that the Hungarian government built a fence to protect its southern borders, while the Dominican Republic “is building a wall along its border”. “Border violations are considered as attacks on our sovereignty,” Szijjarto said.

“We jointly say that the national interest comes first and everybody must respect our sovereignty; that migration should not be managed but curbed, and anyone trying to force the opposite on us stands against our national interests,” the minister said.

Szijjarto noted that he was the first Hungarian foreign minister to visit the Dominican Republic, and called his visit of “diplomatic historical importance”. “This year we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, so the time has come to elevate our relations to a higher level,” he said.

During the talks, Szijjarto and his Dominican partners signed six agreements.

Trade turnover with the Dominican Republic multiplied by 9.5 in the past ten years, which “is an excellent basis to further develop economic cooperation,” he said, adding that one of the new agreements is designed to that end.

The other agreements are aimed at introducing Hungarian water management technologies to the Dominican Republic, setting up a political consultation mechanism, lifting the visa requirement for holders of diplomatic and service passports, joint diplomatic training, as well as offering five university scholarships for Dominican students studying in Hungary, Szijjarto said.