Building a fence on the Serbian border is a matter of urgency, the Hungarian government office chief told reporters on Thursday. János Lázár said at a regular government press briefing that the Hungarian cabinet was “not happy” at all about building a fence between Hungary and Serbia. Guaranteeing the country’s security, however, requires that it must be done urgently, he insisted.
It is not for “fun or amusement” that the Hungarian government approved the decision to close off the border, Lázár said, arguing that an “influx of 150,000 illegal migrants” posed a security risk for the country. The Hungarian government is open to “constructive talks” with its Serbian counterpart at an upcoming joint cabinet session set for July 1, he said. János Lázár also noted that crossing stations along the border would continue to offer legal entry.
Asked whether the government was considering a fence for any of its other borders, he said no options would be excluded until the European Commission comes up with a viable solution to the migration problem. Regarding the possibility of migrants bypassing the Serbian border by crossing via Romania or Croatia, he said these countries were EU member states and “safe countries”, and illegal migrants could be deported back to those countries.
The Hungarian cabinet announced on Wednesday that it ordered the interior minister to prepare construction of a 4-metre fence along Hungary’s 175 kilometres long border with Serbia. The left-wing opposition parties have firmly rejected the plans and the announcement has also triggered harsh international reactions. Meanwhile a fresh report released by Eurostat showed that Hungary registered the second highest number of asylum-seekers in the European Union during the first three months of 2015.
via hungarymatters.hu and MTI photo: Attila Kovács – MTI