Hungarian FM Szijjártó calls for strengthening EU border protection
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Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on Monday called for strengthening the protection of the European Union’s external borders, arguing that the novel coronavirus pandemic may lead to new waves of migration.
Szijjártó said on Facebook after a meeting of EU foreign ministers that the bloc should also work to eliminate all “external factors contributing to migration”.
“The European Union should … focus on the real problems of Europeans rather than encourage migration,” he said.
Of the Middle East peace talks, a focal point of Monday’s meeting, Szijjártó said the EU’s attempts on that count had failed so far. Hungary supports the United States’ peace plan for the region, he said, as the “best starting point for talks and the one with the best chance of being implemented.” Hungary opposes all EU declarations “that would reduce the chances of implementing the US plan … and all declarations condemning Israel for alleged or real intentions,” he said.
Concerning the EU’s relationship with Turkey, Szijjártó called for a strategic approach within the European Union, noting that the bloc’s 2016 migration agreement “has put the EU’s security into Turkish hands”. The EU is yet to fully pay the 6 billion euros it had agreed to pay to Turkey, he noted.