“Despite all the attention the coronavirus is attracting, migration remains a historical challenge. The upward flow [of migrants] from the south is a historical trend, and we stand in the way,” PM Orbán had started off his radio interview this morning on Kossuth radio, adding that “we must expect another migratory wave and mass attack on the Hungarian border fence, [and] the Hungarian border must be protected.”
Visiting Hungary’s southern border fence alongside Slovak PM Peter Pellegrini earlier this month, Viktor Orbán had also drawn attention to the fact that more than 5,000 migrants had already attempted to enter Hungary illegally so far this year and that there were some 100,000 migrants currently on their way to Europe via the Balkan route.
Unfortunately, the PM’s concerns have proven to be true, as during a phone call earlier today on migration and the current war situation in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan informed PM Orbán that there is enormous pressure on Turkey and that they can no longer hold back the flow of migrants.
Following this message, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán convened a meeting of his Security Cabinet this afternoon. Both Péter Szijjártó, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Sándor Pintér, Minister of the Interior, are members of this cabinet.
During the meeting, the Cabinet reviewed reports from the domestic security services, and it was decided that Hungary must strengthen the protection of its borders and pay special attention to developments on the Balkan migration route.
Photo credit: 24.hu