Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić met on Tuesday in Komárno (Révkomárom), Slovakia, to discuss the fight against illegal migration and explore opportunities for regional cooperation.
‘Western leaders are in a panic, which is leading to bad decisions, such as the dismantling of the Schengen system,’ PM Orbán stated at a press conference following the meeting. He added that the migration pact is not a solution to the ongoing crisis.
Migration Summit with President @avucic and Prime Minister Robert Fico. There is a rebellion in #Brussels against migration. Brussels’ Migration Pact is part of the problem, not the solution. The only way to solve the European #migration crisis is by protecting our borders and… pic.twitter.com/ePMBndKZIm
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) October 22, 2024
Viktor Orbán emphasized that the three leaders also bear a responsibility for regional cooperation, as they have collectively governed for more than 40 years. ‘If we allow millions of people in without permission, there will be trouble,’ Orbán warned. He pointed out that since 2015, there have been eight million asylum applications and 3.8 million illegal border crossings, with Hungary alone having detained one million people. ‘The EU is not capable of expelling illegal migrants,’ he said, adding that 430,000 expulsion orders were issued last year, but only 84,000 were enforced.
Orbán also mentioned discussions about transporting illegal immigrants to Brussels, though no decision has been made yet. On the topic of the migration fine, he noted that the EU is nearing a state of rebellion. ‘The Polish prime minister and the German chancellor have already rebelled,’ he said, adding: ‘More and more people will revolt, and this will destroy European cooperation because the EU leadership is unable to address the problem, and this is how Schengen will die.’
According to Prime Minister Orbán, the EU’s entire cooperation is being undermined by its flawed migration policy, and the migration pact must be scrapped. He stressed that the current rules should be forgotten and new ones created instead.
Orbán underlined that the core issue of migration is about preserving a sense of ‘homeliness’. He noted that both Slovakia and Hungary have successfully defended themselves against the migration problem and managed to maintain this quality in their respective countries.
In response to a journalist’s question, Orbán explained that there are two types of hotspots: either in the last safe country or in a camp set up in a third country. These are the places where asylum applications should be submitted. He acknowledged that sending applicants to a third country is not the best solution but emphasized that only those whose applications have been assessed should be allowed to enter the EU.
‘The EU’s entire cooperation is being undermined by its flawed migration policy, and the migration pact must be scrapped’
At the press conference, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico highlighted that Hungary and Slovakia were right to take decisive action against illegal migration. ‘We were right when we said at the beginning of the migration crisis that the most important part of the fight against illegal migration is protecting the borders. The EU does not need binding quotas or the redistribution of migrants,’ Fico said. He thanked Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić for protecting the borders during the migration crisis and stressed that Serbia should join the EU as soon as possible.
Fico also called for the establishment of migrant camps in third countries outside the EU and for speeding up the return policy. He thanked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for his firm stance against illegal migration.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić highlighted that the progress made was the result of joint efforts, with the number of illegal migrants falling by 80 per cent this year. He noted that Serbia currently has 477 migrants in its centres. Vučić expressed gratitude to Viktor Orbán for his support of Serbia’s accession to the EU, adding that thanks to Orbán’s initiatives, Hungarian–Serbian relations are flourishing.
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