Protecting the southern borders serves security in the whole of Europe, Zoltán János Kuczik said, adding that international cooperation was crucial for efforts against illegal migration.
“We are protecting the security of the whole of Europe,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in Röszke following a visit to the Hungarian-Serbian border with his Czech counterpart Andrej Babiš.
This year has seen a significant increase in the number of illegal border-crossing attempts and an intensification of migrant-smuggling activities. Joint press conference with György Bakondi in Röszke.
"We should not give up our security and Christian culture by bringing the problem here, help must be brought where it is most needed,” the justice minister said.
A group of some 20 migrants on the Serbian side of the border threw bricks aimed at police on the Hungarian side late on Wednesday.
The van with Slovak licence plates was heading for the Austrian border and was stopped near Győr, in north-western Hungary.
Hungarian police are committed to preventing the entry of illegal migrants into Hungary and the European Union.
The foreign minister underscored the need to eliminate human smuggling “as a business model before it’s too late”.
“Hungary won’t give in to pressure from pro-migration forces. We’ll continue to defend the Hungarian people and the country and EU’s borders,” said Zoltán Kovács.
György Bakondi said Hungary’s migration policy and border protection measures have been successful in protecting the country and ensuring the safety of its people.
The foreign minister said illegal migration still posed a serious challenge to both Greece and Hungary, as both countries are protected the European Union’s external borders.
Increasing pressure on the southern border is shown by the total of 15,009 illegal entrants arrested or stopped in 3,372 instances since the start of the year, well above the figures during the same period of 2019.
Thirty Hungarian police officers left on Monday for North Macedonia to assist local authorities in border protection duties.