On Thursday, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó told Hungarian News Agency MTI that Hungary provided care for migrants in refugee centres, in accordance with the international conventions.
The Minister responded to Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann’s comments made at the economic forum of Süddeutsche Zeitung in Berlin: “looking back at the situation in September concerning the flood of migrants coming from Hungary”, one may conclude that keeping the Hungarian-Austrian border open and looking after the refugees was the right decision. Had we not given food and medicine to the people and had we closed the border, it would have led to a humanitarian disaster, he said. He added: a society which holds the values of freedom and asylum in high esteem cannot under any circumstances take responsibility for such a humanitarian disaster.
Mr Szijjártó pointed out in response to the above claim that “the Austrian Chancellor simply cannot leave Hungary alone, though it would be high time, given the ever escalating security situation in Europe”.
Werner Faymann creates the false impression that Hungary did not provide adequate care for migrants, he said. In the Minister’s view, by contrast, the truth is that Hungary provided care in refugee centres, in accordance with the international conventions. At the same time, it would not be a normal expectation for the Government to accept that migrants occupy railway stations, motorways and public areas.