If we do not protect our borders, tens of millions of migrants will keep coming to Europe, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated on the programme 180 minutes of the Kossuth radio station on Friday.
The Prime Minister pointed out regarding his talks held in Brussels yesterday: there are major differences between the EU and Hungary because a great many EU leaders believe that everyone should be allowed in. However, if we allow everyone in, that is the end of Europe, Mr Orbán said, who takes the view that there is unlimited succession to the current mass migration, and we may one morning wake up and realise that „we are in the minority on our own continent”.
Therefore, he continued, we should relay the message to those who would come to Europe in the hope of a better life that they should not set out because they will not be allowed to enter, or if they are, they will be sent back home. The Prime Minister stressed: the legitimate demand of European citizens for security can only be satisfied if we are able to protect our borders.
Europe should be stronger now; by contrast, it is rich but weak which is the worst possible combination, he said, reinforcing his view: it is necessary to demonstrate strength in the protection of our borders. According to the Prime Minister’s account, he asked his partners at his meetings held in Brussels on Thursday whether they can propose anything better than the physical border fence in Hungary. Their answer was that they do not like the fence, but they themselves have no better ideas.
Mr Orbán said regarding the planned quota system: it is only worth talking about quotas and the distribution of migrants if we are able to protect our borders. "We may consider anything, once we have protected our borders”, he said, but indicated: he does not support solutions about which those themselves who conceived them knew that they are not genuine solutions. No written proposal has been tabled, based on which migrants would be removed from Hungary, the Prime Minister said, who is – on the contrary – only aware of a written proposal to the effect that a few thousand of the migrants arriving in Greece and Italy would be relocated to Hungary; and this would happen, he said, despite the fact that more migrants are coming to Hungary than to Greece and Italy.
Regarding Greece, the Prime Minister remarked that while he feels for the Greek people, the truth is that if Greece as a front country met its obligations under the Schengen Agreement, there would be no problems in Hungary. If everyone behaves in this manner, the Schengen system and the entire European Union may fall apart, the Prime Minister warned.
Mr Orbán also mentioned that we must respect the countries which formerly decided that they wish to live together with Muslim communities, „but we, too, have the right to decide whether we want to follow their example or not”. The Prime Minister would advise the Hungarian people not to follow suit.
The Prime Minister further said in the radio interview that the „trouble” that evolved at the Keleti Railway Station in Budapest was caused, in his view, by bad German communication, the „false promise” of an invitation to Germany which was subsequently revoked. If Hungary allows these migrants – who do not wish to observe the Hungarian laws and cooperate with the authorities – to travel on, the Austrians will seal the border, he said, and continued by stating that if the Hungarian people wish to maintain their freedom of movement within Europe, they must protect their exterior borders and must enforce compliance with the European regulations also at the Keleti Railway Station.
Germany should give these people visas, and „we shall then have the authority to allow them to leave the country", he said. At the same time, the Prime Minister also stressed that the Hungarian authorities deserve nothing but praise, and made specific mention of the police because „the fact that they were able to maintain order without resorting to physical violence is an outstanding policing performance which is truly in the European vein”.
Mr Orbán said regarding the new immigration regulations which are expected to enter into force as of mid-September: a new era will begin as of 15 September. He added that an information campaign will start already on Saturday so that the migrants themselves may prepare for the new situation that they will not be allowed to enter Hungary illegally. Everyone, Serbia, Macedonia, migrants and human traffickers included, should prepare for complying with the new regulations, he said.
The Prime Minister expects a show of understanding from the Prague meeting of the Visegrád Four to be held on Friday. He takes the view that at this meeting „it will be possible to talk about reality, rather than about ideology”. Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland look upon their own current identity as something valuable, and intend to continue their European history, the Prime Minister said, who believes that „we may find more understanding here than we did in Brussels". At the same time, he remarked that he had constructive talks with Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission and Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, while the meeting he had with Martin Schulz, the socialist President of the European Parliament, „was as expected".
Finally, regarding the news that football hooligans were running amok in Budapest before the Hungarian-Romanian European Football Championships qualifiers match on Friday evening, Mr Orbán said: „I thought they would show more sympathy and understanding, seeing the situation in Hungary due to the illegal migrants. (...) It would appear that not only the leaders of Europe but I myself, too, sometimes chase wild dreams".
The press release is available in English in the attached file.
Anbei finden Sie die Pressemitteilung in Deutscher Sprache.