EU should be capable of protecting citizens, says Hungarian defence minister

EU member states must be able to protect their citizens, Hungarian Defence Minister Tibor Benkő said at a meeting of EU defence ministers in Vienna on Thursday.

At an informal meeting on Wednesday and Thursday, the ministers discussed ways of cooperation to guarantee Europe’s security, the defence ministry said in a statement.

Speaking after the meeting,

Benkő warned that illegal migrants keep arriving in EU member states, “in spite of the fact that some nations, Hungary among them, have curbed migration using legal and physical measures. Illegal migration is also a hotbed of terrorism”, he said.

The EU’s defence capabilities should be developed in a way that they complement rather than duplicate NATO skills, Benkő said.

Hungary supports the EU accession of the Western Balkan states which would guarantee the security of the EU’s southern borders, Benkő said.

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Photo: MTI

Source: MTI