V4 countries will possibly help build Macedonia’s border fence

Budapest, December 9 (MTI) – Negotiations are ongoing between member states of the Visegrad Group on protecting the European Union’s external border by helping to build a border fence along the Macedonian-Greek border, Hungary’s defence minister said on Wednesday.

Speaking to journalists after reviewing a joint Hungarian-Czech army training programme with his counterpart, Istvan Simicsko said that a decision on providing help to Macedonia had not yet been made and it was ultimately up to the prime ministers of each V4 country to approve the initiative. At the same time, he voiced hope that the V4 defence ministers meeting next Thursday in Prague would discuss the matter.

Martin Stropnicky said the issue would indeed be on the agenda of next week’s meeting. It is likely that police rather than soldiers would be sent to the Macedonian border, he said. It is a sensitive issue, he said, but it must be stated that Macedonia cannot properly see to border protection over the long term.