Minister: Hungary’s southern border ‘under migrant siege’

Hungary’s southern border “is practically under siege due to illegal migration”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after meeting his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg in Vienna on Thursday.

The Hungarian authorities have apprehended over 120,000 illegal migrants on the country’s southern border so far this year, two-and-a-half as many as last year at this point, Szijjártó told a press conference. “What’s more, the migrants are behaving aggressively and violently, having armed themselves; and they aren’t shy about using their weapons,” he added.

The minister said such people were committing a crime and not even international laws allowed them to cross borders illegally, adding that human smugglers were also breaking the law. Szijjártó criticised the EU’s “pro-migrant policies” and plans to introduce mandatory resettlement quotas. He also blamed the EU for reimbursing a “tiny fraction” of the costs of Hungary’s efforts to halt migration.

As Hungary sees illegal migration as a threat to its security, its government has set up a new border patrol force, so-called “border hunters”, who will also protect the European Union, including Austria, he said. Szijjártó added that the Hungarian government “greatly appreciates” Austria’s stance on combatting illegal immigration.

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Concerning the war in Ukraine, the minister said it was clear that “the aim now has to be peace”. The government will not allow Hungarians to be made to pay the price of war, and must put national interests first when it comes to energy supply security, he added. The countries in this region depend on Russian gas, and Hungary has made clear that it refuses to even discuss the possibility of introducing a gas embargo against Russia or taking measures against Gazprom, the minister said.