The foreign minister has said the coronavirus pandemic and migration form a “vicious circle”.
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said at a United Nations conference in Geneva on Wednesday, argued that the more the virus spreads, the more people will flee their home countries, spreading the virus even further. Apart from its effects on public health, the pandemic also has a serious impact on global trade and the economy, he said. The biggest impact is felt by the least developed countries, since they are the most vulnerable, he added. The pandemic has also intensified the factors that drive mass migration, Minister Szijjártó said, who is the co-chair of the conference. This, he said, could lead to a “vicious circle” of migrants spreading the virus further, which then could force more people to flee their homes.
The minister emphasized the importance of providing help at the point where it is needed instead of causing problems where there are none, arguing that it was “complicated to imagine” that any illegal migrants could present two negative PCR tests. Unless the developed countries offer more effective aid programs for the countries in need, more and more mass migration waves will emerge, most of which will affect Europe, Minister Szijjártó said, adding that the risk of this was growing due to the situation in Afghanistan. As regards Hungary’s support for countries in need, Minister Szijjártó said the government spent more than 400 million dollars on its international development schemes last year. This means that the country has surpassed its target of spending 0.25 percent of its GDP on development aid by 2025. He also noted that Hungary has delivered some 1.6 million doses of Covid vaccines to the least developed countries.