The foreign minister has said Egypt deserves unconditional support from the European Union as it has proven that illegal migration can be halted at sea as well as on land.
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said that by closing its maritime border six years ago, Egypt has since shown the falsity of the claim of Brussels officials and pro-migration politicians that migration waves cannot be contained along sea routes.
“Egypt is doing a great service for the whole of Europe, especially now that illegal migration involves major health risks. For this reason it deserves every possible assistance from the European Union,” the minister told a press conference in Cairo after talks with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukhry.
Minister Szijjártó also criticized the European Commission for setting conditions for Egypt’s access to EU funds. He noted that last year 60 million dollars due to Egypt “had got stuck” because of political disputes. The minister said that the two countries had always based their cooperation on mutual trust and refrained from interfering with one another’s internal affairs.
In response to a question, the minister, noting the “sensitive issue” of gas supplies in central Europe, said: “This is why we have launched talks with Egypt on the purchase of liquefied natural gas.”
Photo credit: Facebook/Szijjártó Péter