European Liberals hold congress in Budapest

Budapest, November 20 (MTI) – Refugees arriving in Europe have fled from the same terrorism that Europe now faces, chairman of Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Graham Watson told the alliance’s congress in Budapest on Friday.

Watson noted that the West had not closed its borders to 200,000 Hungarians fleeing the country in 1956. Neither should they shut the borders now, he added.

Budapest has for centuries been a centre for culture, knowledge and tolerance, but Viktor Orban is now working to complete an illiberal state model, Watson said, and insisted that “the Hungarian prime minister is neither liberal nor a democrat”.

Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s prime minister, said it was a grave mistake to mix up migration and terrorism. This would only help terrorists achieve their goals, he said, adding that the European fundamental values of freedom and solidarity should be protected.

Concerning refugees, Bettel said that Syrians run to Europe for their life, leaving all they had behind. Politicians must understand, he said, that “they do not work for today; they will impact the lives of future generations”.

Guy Verhofstadt, head of the ALDE group in the European Parliament, said Budapest had been chosen as the venue for the congress as a way “to say no” to the illiberal state model of Hungary’s prime minister.