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Hungary's FM: “European security starts in Africa"

Hungary’s foreign minister has said that to eliminate the causes of migration, efforts must be made to stabilize Africa politically and economically

Hungary’s foreign minister has said that to eliminate the causes of migration, efforts must be made to stabilize Africa politically and economically.

Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, commenting on the upcoming EU-Africa summit to be held in late November, said Hungary supports making African countries the targets of the EU’s economic and investment policies.

Minister Szijjártó said that “tens of millions of people” from Africa — “desperate masses seeking a better and safer life” — were “on their way to Europe”.

The economic and political situation on the continent must be stabilized in order to tackle the root causes of migration, he stressed. “European security starts in Africa,” he said.

The minister said that when it comes to creating EU programs for Africa, it is vitally important that strict conditions should be binding on funding.

“Security risks are constantly growing in immigrant countries … but we do not want to become a country of immigrants; we want to protect ourselves and we will protect ourselves,” he said.

Minister Szijjártó said it appeared that European countries were being expected to adjust to migrants arriving in Europe rather than the other way around, calling this “a sad state of affairs”.