Minister urges bolstering security, economy in migrants’ countries of origin

Hungary, he said, was protecting not just its own border, but also the European Union’s external border against a “massive illegal wave of migration” on the busiest migration route leading to Europe, Szijjarto told a debate of the United Nations Security Council, according to a ministry statement.

He lamented that some in the European Union considered border protection a human rights issue rather than a security issue.

He added that the Hungarian government favoured strict border protection and made it clear “that violating a border is a crime and it has to be addressed properly”.

Szijjarto said migration could only be stopped by tackling its root causes, such as security problems, the threat of terrorism and poverty.

Terrorism and migration, he said, formed “an evil cycle”, arguing that former was both a cause and a consequence of the latter. He said migration waves could be infiltrated by terrorists, making the threat of terrorism in Europe greater, while certain western European countries were seeing the emergence of parallel societies, “no-go zones” and rising anti-Semitism.

Hungarians, he said, had a vested interest in the success of the fight against terrorism, and the country contributed to that international effort.

He said Africa, and specifically the Sahel, was one of the top origin region of migration towards Europe. Hungary is therefore sending 200 troops to Chad in cooperation with its government to support the military there and prevent further migration waves, he added.

The minister also underlined the importance of developing the region’s economy, emphasising the need for investments, job creation and technology exports, in which, he said, Hungary was doing its part.