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Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer discussed the European migration crisis by telephone on Friday, Press Chief of the Prime Minister’s Office Bertalan Havasi told reporters.

According to Mr. Havasi, the parties agreed that the increasing number of migrants is one of the greatest challenges facing Europe today, which can only be successfully tackled through the solidarity-based cooperation of every EU member state and institution and while fully conforming to all valid EU laws.

According to Prime Minister Orbán, Hungary is making extreme efforts to protect the Schengen Area, and the current situation has arisen because Greece is failing to adhere to and enforce EU law within its own territory.

Bavaria has reached the limit of its capacity in view of the ever increasing level of migration, Mr. Seehofer said during the discussion.

Mr. Orbán expressed deep understanding with regard to the increasing burdens on Germany, which has become a favourite target for migration. It is the Prime Minister’s firm belief that the most effective solution would be for the current EU regulations and mechanisms to once again be fully and consistently applied throughout the territory of the European Union.

The parties agreed that everything must be done to maintain and preserve the Schengen Agreement, which serves as the basis for the safety and free movement of European citizens.

“The Schengen system is facing a serious challenge, but the Agreement remains at the core of European unity”, the two Prime Ministers stressed. “The most important thing now is that we facilitate and support every decision that assures the protection of the European Union’s external borders”, Mr. Orbán declared, adding that the European Union must also take over the protection of external borders from Greece in a physical sense if required.

Hungary also requires the support and cooperation of EU member states and European Institutions with regard to border protection, Mr. Havasi said with relation to what was discussed at the meeting.