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Defense Minister: The EU must be capable of protecting its own citizens

Minister Benkő said Europe’s security must depend on the European people and on European countries. “We ourselves must take care of ourselves,” he said

Hungary’s defense minister has said that Europe and nations of the European Union must be capable of protecting their own citizens.

Tibor Benkő stressed Hungary’s position during a two-day meeting of defense ministers of member states of the European Union held in Vienna.

According to MTI, the most important topic of the conference was Europe’s security, and the issue of guaranteeing Europe’s security through the cooperation of European nations.

Minister Benkő said Europe’s security must depend on the European people and on European countries. “We ourselves must take care of ourselves,” he said.

The minster said that despite efforts by countries such as Hungary to manage migration illegal immigrants are evidently still arriving in a number of European countries to this day.

“This illegal migration is a breeding ground for terrorism,” the minister stressed, pointing out that in the autumn of 2015 a great many people entered Europe, also via Hungary, about whom it later emerged that they were members of various terrorist organizations.

The minister further stressed that Hungary supports the accession of Western Balkans states to the European Union, which also improves the security of Europe’s southern borders.