Hungary's foreign minister has said that comments made by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, promoting migration "raises major legitimacy problems”.
Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, highlighted that Guterres called migration an opportunity, that it reinforces economic growth, reduces inequalities and connects different societies.
The minister said this stance raises legitimacy problems because the UN is currently in the process of debating the resolutions that would allow for the future handling of migration.
“We regard it as unacceptable that the Secretary General is pre-empting the results of such a debate and to all intents and purposes announcing the result, while he is otherwise fully aware of the fact that he in no way enjoys the unanimous backing of member states on this issue," he said. “The question therefore arises whether there is any point in taking part in these negotiations at all," he added.
“If we feel that our opinion on this extremely important matters continues to be ignored in future, then I will be recommending that the Government considers reviewing whether there is any point in Hungary taking part in these negotiations," Minister Szijjártó said.
He added that the Hungarian government would like it to be prevented and stopped, and this is also the standpoint that it is putting forward in the United Nations.
“Hungary’s standpoint continues to be that migration is a bad thing (…) and that our primary goal is to assure the security of Hungary and the Hungarian people," he concluded.
Meanwhile, the Chief Security Advisor to the Prime Minister has highlighted how the UN’s draft directive on migration is chillingly reminiscent of the European Union’s plans, against which the Hungarian government is also fighting.
György Bakondi stressed that given the situation the Hungarian government must consider what action to take.
“The opinions of the UN Secretary General with relation to the planned compact for migration are far from supported internationally. The Hungarian government has also protested against the fact that the UN Secretary General is putting the plan forward as his own standpoint on the global organization’s various forums without the existence of a consensus on the issue," he said.