Prime Minister Viktor Orban held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by phone before convening a meeting of his security cabinet, the PM’s press chief said on Friday.
Orbán and Erdogan discussed the latest developments in the fighting in Syria and the migration situation in the region, Bertalan Havasi said. Erdogan told Orbán that Turkey could no longer contain all of the displaced Syrians it had taken in. The two leaders also discussed preparations for a Visegrad Group-Turkey summit to be held next month.
Orbán later convened a meeting of his security cabinet which also includes the foreign and interior ministers. The cabinet reviewed reports from the security services and decided on beefing up the protection of Hungary’s borders and pay close attention to the developments on the Balkan migration route, Havasi said.
New Wave of Mass Migration? Turkey Opens Border Gates to Europe
Meanwhile, he said Orbán earlier in the day expressed his condolences to Erdogan over the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers by Syrian government troops. “I assure you that Turkey can count on Hungary as a NATO ally and a committed partner,” the prime minister wrote in a letter.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has decided to further strengthen the protection of Hungary’s borders and focus on developments on the Balkan migration route after speaking by phone to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said Turkey could no longer ensure that all migrants would be detained on its territory.
Orbán convened his security cabinet and reviewed security reports, deciding to continue to pursue all measures that protect the border and the Hungarian people, Zoltán Kovács, the state secretary for international communications and relations, said on Saturday in a video posted on Facebook.
Featured photo illustration by Zsolt Szigetváry/MTI