Hungary’s foreign minister has said that the government will never give in to the European Union’s mandatory resettlement quotas.
“It is good news with relation to the admittance of refugees that the issue of mandatory quotas has finally been removed from the agenda and everyone has understood that there will be no quotas, because there can be no quotas,” Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said.
The foreign minister declared on Friday in Brussels during the recess of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) that there can be no quotas because there are EU member states that do not want to admit migrants and that do not want to become immigrant countries.
The minister added that there can also be no quotas because there will never be agreement between the countries of the European Union on the adoption of mandatory resettlement quotas.
“In Hungary’s opinion the correct solution remains the setting up of a clear order, in which the protection of Europe’s external borders must be in first place,” the minister said.
He explained that the situation has “not changed” because there are still countries that want migration and countries that do not want migration.
“There are still some who want to manage migration processes, and those who want to stop them,” he said. “This antagonism has still not been resolved in any form,” he added.
The foreign minister concluded that Hungary supports the idea that the European Union should not invite illegal immigrants, but should stop its doublespeak and clearly state that “if someone gets on board the ship of people smugglers in North Africa, there is no guarantee that they will be able to disembark in Europe”.
“This is what could radically reduce the immigration pressure on Europe,” he stressed.