Orbán’s advisor: The Hungarian standpoint will become increasingly accepted

“The Government expects the Hungarian standpoint on illegal immigration to become increasingly accepted and for more and more countries to begin viewing uncontrolled mass migration as wrong”, the Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister said.

György Bakondi declared: “There are more and more countries who, partly via national measures and partly at the various forums of the European Union, are enforcing the standpoint according to which uncontrolled mass illegal migration is not a good thing, immigrants should be checked before entering the territory of the European Union, and only those should be allowed entry who do in fact request political asylum, because otherwise we can expect to suffer unpredictable consequences”.

“We expect the number of countries who view these issues from this perspective to increase, and for the Hungarian standpoint to become increasingly accepted”, he added, highlighting the fact that several EU member states including Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany and several other countries have tightened their immigration regulations, the toughest restrictions having been imposed by Austria.

In summary of the current situation, Mr. Bakondi said that out of the three main migration routes, a clear increase in the level of migration compared to last year has been observed from Libya to Italy and from North Africa towards Spain, while although there is no current increase along the Balkan migration route, a continuous “multidirectional” movement that “avoids the protected routes” may be observed.

“The consequences of illegal immigration can clearly be seen in Italy, Greece and Spain, the countries that lie along the Balkan migration route, and also in Germany, Sweden, Great Britain and France”, the Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister emphasised.

According to Mr. Bakondi, the EU is pursuing an unchanged policy aimed at getting Hungary to demolish the fence, so away with border security, accept the quota and settle migrants in the country.

The Chief Security Advisor stressed that the Hungarian Government is against the latest EU idea of setting up an “immigration management agency”, which would strip member states of the right to decide on requests for asylum, and which concerns a proposal made two years ago by George Soros.

“The European Commission’s plan of action made public on Tuesday with relation to the Italian situation is also aimed at accelerating the settlement of migrants”, he added. Mr. Bakondi recalled that two EU procedures are ongoing against Hungary with relation to the topic, concerning the rejection of the quota, and the transit zone and legal border barrier, while Hungary has launched legal proceedings at the European Court of Justice with relation to the quota.

With relation to migration data, the Chief Security Advisor told reporters that over 98 thousand people had arrived in Italy from Libya via the Mediterranean between 1 January and 3 July, which represents an increase of 40 percent compared to last year. According to figures from the UN, migrant seem to be arriving at an increasing rate in view of the fact that more than 10 thousand migrants have arrived on the shores of Italy since 24 June, he added. Libya’s 1700 kilometre coastline is totally open, and according to the UN people smugglers there realised 300 million euros in profits in 2016, he said.

According to Mr. Bakondi, a significant increase in migration may also be observed in the direction of Spain, with the Spanish authorities registering over 6400 over the past six months, and several thousand people arriving in Andalusia during the past week alone, while according to the coast guard a further 5-10 thousand migrants are waiting in morocco to cross the sea Spain.

With regard to the Balkan migration route, Mr. Bakondi told reporters that there were currently 71 thousand migrants along the Western Balkan route, with 9500 new migrants arriving in Greece so far this year, meaning there are currently a total of 62 thousand migrants in Greece, while some 6000 immigrants have been registered in Serbia.

2993 people have attempted to enter Hungarian illegally along the southern border since 28 March, 1694 of whom have been apprehended and 1299 accompanied back to the other side of the border security fence. The Chief Security Advisor said it was remarkable that following 177 thousand in 2015 and 29 thousand in 2016, only 2022 requests for asylum have been submitted in Hungary do far this year, of which 709 were submitted in the transit zone. 332 people have received refugee or protected status annually, he added.

In reply to a question concerning security at the upcoming FINA Aquatics World Championships, Mr. Bakondi declared: “Hungary is doing everything possible in the interests of security with regard to regulations and technical preparedness”. According to the Chief Security Advisor, the presence of police and the equipment they have at their disposal represent a suitable guarantee for the security of the event.

Source: kormany.hu