The State Secretary for International Communications and Relations has said the first step in managing the issue of migration in Europe is protecting the continent’s borders and “repatriating anyone who is here unlawfully”.
Speaking to MTI after briefing Austrian and German journalists on the Hungarian government’s policies in Vienna, Zoltán Kovács said that whenever the protection of the European way of life is brought up in the European Commission or other institutions, “every country must take a look at how they’re doing their best” to make that happen.
In relaton to Austria, the State Secretary said migration was “not really a central issue” in Hungary’s western neighbor. But recent developments show that the same questions have kept coming up over the past 3 to 4 years concerning migration, he said, adding that they would eventually cause problems in the country’s domestic politics.
Kovács said Hungary’s views on migration have not changed over the last three years. “We firmly and decisively reject the introduction of a voluntary or mandatory quota system in Europe, since this would basically be another call for migrants to come here,” he said.
The State Secretary said the first step is securing and protecting Europe’s land and maritime borders and repatriating anyone who has entered Europe illegally. Any other method of managing migration or the question of integrating those already in Europe can only come later, he added.
Photo credit: Facebook