Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has made an official visit to Tompa, on the Hungarian-Serbian border to inspect Hungary’s border fence and to thank police and soldiers for their efforts.
“If there were no fence, tens of thousands of migrants would be arriving in Hungary each year,” the prime minister said.
In a Facebook video post the prime minister reminded people “what a flood had rushed into Hungary without any chance of being hindered or stopped”.
“It was a bad feeling to see our homeland so vulnerable, but then we built the fence, which I viewed today, and I have seen with my very own eyes that it is a formidable structure that any country in the world could be jealous of. The fence is capable of protecting Hungary even without physical violence,” he said.
The prime minister added that he had listened to police leaders and spoken to police officers on duty at the border. According to police figures, had there been no fence in 2017, more than 44,000 people would have crossed into the territory of Hungary and Europe illegally.
“This fence not only protects Hungary but all of Europe,” the prime minister said. “We built it, we paid for it, and we expect Europe to pay the costs of this to at least the extent to which it is also protecting them,” he stated.
The prime minister said he was satisfied with his visit because in his view there is order on the border and not only is the physical border barrier working, but the police officers and soldiers on duty there are also excellently trained and prepared.