Hungary’s foreign minister has revealed that migration pressure in the Western Balkans has reached and “at times exceeded” the level seen in 2015.
Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Hungary is ready to stand by Montenegro in its fight against waves of illegal migration.
Following talks with Sdrjan Darmanovic, the Montenegrin foreign minister, Minister Szijjártó said “alarming news” has come from Turkey and Greece, adding that “in some instances the situation in Greece seems to be worse than it was in 2015”.
The minister added that this time, the main route of illegal migration is running through Albania, Montenegro as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Minister Darmanovic said the Montenegrin government was ready to protect the country against illegal migration.
Minister Szijjártó pledged help from Hungary, adding that police chiefs had already agreed to provide 25 kilometres of fence material for the most vulnerable stretch of the border between Montenegro and Albania.
The foreign minister said that it would constitute a high-risk security threat to Hungary if its borders with Croatia and Serbia were to become the first line of defense against a new wave of illegal migration.
He added that Hungary has a vested interest in the Western Balkan states being as stable and as committed as possible to protecting their own borders.
Montenegro can count on Hungary’s firm support in its accession to the European Union as well as in border protection, Minister Szijjártó said.
The minister concluded by stating that Hungarian policemen are now serving along the Macedonian-Greek border, following border protection missions in Serbia and Slovenia.