Hungarian FM: Protection of external borders most pressing task

Protecting the external borders is Europe’s most pressing task, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said on Tuesday.

Szijjártó, who is in Kuwait to attend the foreign ministerial conference of the global coalition to defeat the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation, told MTI by phone that the meeting evaluated the results so far and discussed further steps.

He noted that thanks to the coalition’s military successes, IS had lost 98 percent of its previously occupied territories. “This is good news, but it has brought new challenges,” he said.

IS has changed its tactics by attempting to invade new territories in order to launch attacks, while IS is sending many of the 5,000 returning foreign fighters — 3,000 of them EU citizens — back to Europe to carry out terrorist acts.

Szijjártó said IS, in its current form, presents a new security threat to Europe, and the new migration wave could “open the gateway” to these terrorists.

“This is why it is now more important than ever to defend the EU’s external borders.”

The minister also addressed the issue of helping Christian communities returning to their homes. Unless they return, IS or another terrorist organisation could re-occupy these areas and launch new attacks, he insisted.