Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has assured the Italian government that it has Hungary's support and respect over the migrant crisis.
Péter Szijjártó, minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the prime minister made the statement in his reply to the letter he received from Italian head of government Giuseppe Conte.
“We Hungarians know very well that this is not an easy task, and if someone does so they fall under constant attack," PM Orbán wrote. He stressed that Hungary’s standpoint has been well-known for years: the Hungarian government will not be participating in any kind of distribution of immigrants.
“Illegal immigrants should not be distributed among the countries of Europe, but sent home to where they came from, and accordingly Hungary can only provide assistance with relation to the latter," Minister Szijjártó said.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has written a letter to President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, and to the other 27 member state of the European Union via President of the EU Council Donald Tusk, asking them to provide a “clear sign” that they are assuming some of the associated burdens and to receive some asylum-seekers or allow them to dock.
According to the letter, Malta and France have already indicated that they will be accepting 50 people each.