Economy
V4 to jointly protect Hungary's border, Croatia really upset
Szijjártó met the interior and foreign ministers of several European Union Member States at a conference on migration with the attendance of representatives of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Western Balkan states in Luxembourg yesterday.
He said the Visegrad Four countries would jointly protect the borders of the Schengen Area and the external borders of the EU on the southern part of Hungary. V4 Prime Ministers are to agree on the final pledges, as well as on the number of soldiers, police officers and other means to be deployed at a European Council summit next week, he added.
The minister stressed that this agreement will set an important example to the EU, because the bocl could give a proper answer to the migration crisis only if it “strengthened the protection of external borders not only in words but also in deeds."
Until the external borders of Greece cannot be protected by a joint European force there is no chance to combat this crisis successfully. The V4 countries will show that they can protect Hungary’s borders, and if four countries can work together then 28 Member States should be able to do the same, he added.
Szijjártó also said that as winter approaches the migration pressure could become even bigger, as the West-Balkan route will be chosen by even more people. The Western Balkan countries cannot be expected to stem this wave of migrants if EU Member States cannot cope with this either.
The minister said the situation is made even worse by the fact that there is no stability in the region where the migrants are fleeing from, as the Islamic State keeps conquering new territories, hence the risk that millions will get on the road to reach Europe. That is why the EU needs to regain control of its external borders and support the affected region so that refugees and immigrants could be treated properly there and they wouldn’t start migrating towards Europe, he explained.
Szijjártó has announced earlier that an agreement was reached between the V4 countries that the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland will also take part in the protection of the EU’s external border in the south of Hungary and the control of the external borders of the Schengen Area.
Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said in Prague on Tuesday that in the second stage of the country’s assistance to Hungary the Czech Republic will deploy additional soldiers and policemen in Hungary. He decided on Monday that in the first stage Prague will provide Hungary 25 soldiers and technical equipment to help controlling the Schengen border.
Joanna Rokicka, spokesperson for Poland’s border authority, announced on Monday that Poland lent Hungary a helicopter to strengthen control on the Hungarian-Croatian border.
Zagreb not happy
The control of the external border of the Schengen Area in the south of Hungary with the participation of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland is unacceptable to Croatia, said Croatia’s Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic in Luxembourg on Thursday.
According to the Croatian press, the minister stressed that it does not send a good message that the aforementioned countries take part on controlling the border along the fence of the Croatia-Hungary border with military and police forces.
This is something that is absolutely unacceptable to Croatia, he underlined.
The minister thinks that this will raise additional diplomatic issues between the countries that control the border and those against which the control is set up. Although the military and police forces to be deployed are small, he stressed that “it is unacceptable on a symbolic level that a razor-wire fence and military and policy forces stand between two EU Member States."
He said the Visegrad Four countries would jointly protect the borders of the Schengen Area and the external borders of the EU on the southern part of Hungary. V4 Prime Ministers are to agree on the final pledges, as well as on the number of soldiers, police officers and other means to be deployed at a European Council summit next week, he added.
The minister stressed that this agreement will set an important example to the EU, because the bocl could give a proper answer to the migration crisis only if it “strengthened the protection of external borders not only in words but also in deeds."
Until the external borders of Greece cannot be protected by a joint European force there is no chance to combat this crisis successfully. The V4 countries will show that they can protect Hungary’s borders, and if four countries can work together then 28 Member States should be able to do the same, he added.
Szijjártó also said that as winter approaches the migration pressure could become even bigger, as the West-Balkan route will be chosen by even more people. The Western Balkan countries cannot be expected to stem this wave of migrants if EU Member States cannot cope with this either.
The minister said the situation is made even worse by the fact that there is no stability in the region where the migrants are fleeing from, as the Islamic State keeps conquering new territories, hence the risk that millions will get on the road to reach Europe. That is why the EU needs to regain control of its external borders and support the affected region so that refugees and immigrants could be treated properly there and they wouldn’t start migrating towards Europe, he explained.
Szijjártó has announced earlier that an agreement was reached between the V4 countries that the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland will also take part in the protection of the EU’s external border in the south of Hungary and the control of the external borders of the Schengen Area.
Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said in Prague on Tuesday that in the second stage of the country’s assistance to Hungary the Czech Republic will deploy additional soldiers and policemen in Hungary. He decided on Monday that in the first stage Prague will provide Hungary 25 soldiers and technical equipment to help controlling the Schengen border.
Joanna Rokicka, spokesperson for Poland’s border authority, announced on Monday that Poland lent Hungary a helicopter to strengthen control on the Hungarian-Croatian border.
Zagreb not happy
The control of the external border of the Schengen Area in the south of Hungary with the participation of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland is unacceptable to Croatia, said Croatia’s Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic in Luxembourg on Thursday.
According to the Croatian press, the minister stressed that it does not send a good message that the aforementioned countries take part on controlling the border along the fence of the Croatia-Hungary border with military and police forces.
This is something that is absolutely unacceptable to Croatia, he underlined.
The minister thinks that this will raise additional diplomatic issues between the countries that control the border and those against which the control is set up. Although the military and police forces to be deployed are small, he stressed that “it is unacceptable on a symbolic level that a razor-wire fence and military and policy forces stand between two EU Member States."
