Hungary Helps scheme hailed in North Rhine-Westphalia, says state secretary

The government’s Hungary Helps scheme, which coordinates humanitarian efforts in crisis areas, has attracted much respect in North Rhine-Westphalia, the state secretary in charge of persecuted Christians Tristan Azbej said on Tuesday at the end of a visit to Germany’s most populous state.

Azbej held talks in Duesseldorf with the local government minister in charge of European Union affairs Stephan Holthoff-Pfoertner, as well as several senior Landtag members and church leaders.

It depended on the political affiliation of the negotiating partners to what extent they represented the “west European and German pro-migration position” but some politicians from the Landtag shared the Hungarian view that mass migration has serious security risks, for instance due to the activities of human smugglers, he said.

The Hungarian government’s anti-migration policy was judged differently by the different negotiating partners but

“we could always find some shared views” and everybody said Hungary’s humanitarian policies and the Hungary Helps scheme were exemplary, he added.

As part of the visit in Cologne, Azbej will attend a conference of Hungarian-speaking Catholic priests from western Europe, and unveil a memorial plaque dedicated to Cardinal József Mindszenty, the last Prince Primate of Hungary, in the Cologne Cathedral.