Speaking in Istanbul, Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Europe has never before faced such a complex set of challenges when it comes to the issue of migration. “In fact, the situation is expected to get worse, now that 30,000-35,000 people are fleeing Afghanistan on a daily basis,” the minister said, adding that this figure was expected to rise.
According to MTI, the minister said Hungary and Europe’s interests lie in stopping the illegal migration waves as far away from the continent as possible, and this requires the help of the countries in the region and those countries situated along potential migration routes. The latter group, he said, therefore should not be encouraged to open their borders but should be supported in protecting them. Forcing the countries of the region to take in Afghan migrants would have seen a repeat of the mistakes made during the 2015 migration crisis, Minister Szijjártó said, adding that these countries had to have a say in the decisions that impacted them.
Photo credit: MTI