“Egypt has proven that migration processes can also be stopped at sea, and the European Union should provide funding to the country to enable it to continue to stop illegal immigrants”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday in Cairo.
“Europe’s security begins in North Africa, and the determining country in this region is Egypt, which in 2015 essentially closed down the areas used by illegal immigrants and people smugglers”, Mr. Szijjártó stated at a joint press conference following a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukri.
“Hungary and Egypt have proven that migration can be stopped both on land and at sea”, he highlighted, underlining that this is one of the reasons why the European Commission’s New Pact on Migration, which in his opinion contains the same errors as before and wants to manage illegal immigration, while the security of the continent would require that to be stopped, is unacceptable to the Hungarian government.
“New waves of migration would represent a phenomenal security and cultural risk to Europe, and now also a huge health risk”, Mr. Szijjártó declared. “Egypt is a partner in preventing migration, and Europe should approach Egypt accordingly”, he underlined.
During the course of the day, Mr. Szijjártó held talks with, amongst others, Egypt’s Minister of Transport and Minister of Trade and Industry. In addition, he also met with Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, and with Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of al-Azhar University and Mosque, which is regarded as the central institution of the Sunni branch of Islam.