Minister Lázár: Facebook video meant to point out consequences of migration

Government office chief János Lázár on Thursday said that a video he posted on Facebook earlier this week showing him on a street in Vienna talking about the city’s migration situation was meant to highlight the consequences of migration.

Lázár told his regular news conference after talks with Austria’s Chancellery Minister Gernot Bluemel that he and the minister had clarified that his “private visit” to Vienna on Tuesday did not concern Hungarian-Austrian relations. Bilateral ties, he said, “are improving to such an extent that nothing could damage them”. The Hungarian government’s interest lies in the continued improvement of the two countries’ relations, he added.

He said the video was not meant to offend Viennese residents but merely to document his experiences in the district in which it was shot. It was a message for Hungary and was meant to show that Hungarians had a choice concerning what they wanted Budapest and other major cities to be like.

The consequences of migration that could be seen in the video are not unique to Vienna, Lázár said, adding that they could also be felt in places like Brussels or Berlin.

Hungary will have a chance on April 8 to avoid becoming an “immigrant country”, Lázár said.

On another subject, the government office chief said that chances of the European Union coming to a unified stance on the United Nations’ migration package were zero. He said Hungary would not accept the UN’s migration package, adding that the government’s proposals on the document were clear.

Lázár said two UN documents were being discussed. He said agreement on what to do in the case of refugees had emerged — and Hungary would comply with all international conventions on this score — but a consensus had not formed on the issue of economic migrants.

The UN has come out heavily on the side of migration, he said, adding that the Hungarian view was that migration is damaging. “Everyone has the right to live amid peace and security in the land of their birth,” he said.

“Migration doesn’t benefit anyone,” Lázár insisted. “Not those who embark on their journey risking their lives or the destination countries.”

He noted that the government had turned to the Constitutional Court seeking an opinion on whether the constitution provides any room for Hungary to give up its right to determine who can live in the country. The Hungarian government believes that crossing borders illegally is a serious crime and that the UN cannot force its position onto its member states, Lázár said.

He said that if Hungary were forced to implement migrant quotas, funds originally allocated towards pension rises, providing hot meals for children and subsidies for the needy would have to be spent on caring for migrants.

featured image: https://www.facebook.com/lazarjanosfidesz/

Source: MTI