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Hungary compelled to protect its southern borders: PM

Xinhua, July 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

Hungary is aware of the consequences, it is compelled to protect its southern borders, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a joint press conference with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic in Budapest on Wednesday after the Hungarian-Serbian government meeting.

Orban reassured his Serbian counterpart that this measure is in no way directed against Serbia or the Serbian people.

The Hungarian government looks upon the issue of the fence as an issue of the protection of Hungary's borders, rather than as some question of human rights, foreign affairs or bilateral relations, Orban said.

Hungary wants to maintain and develop its legal border crossing stations, and will not close them down, Orban said, adding that Hungary will prevent illegal border-crossing with any means possible.

Hungary finds itself "trapped in a tricky situation" because further waves of mass migration are not only coming from the south, but also from western countries which intend to send back illegal border-crossers to Hungary, Orban added.

Orban pointed out that the Hungarian government takes the view that this is not a question of asylum, and not even a question of economic migration, but a modern-age mass migration which will not stop any time soon.

It is a mere illusion that people will only come to Europe from the African crisis zones until peace is brought to those territories, the prime minister said.

He welcomed Tuesday's agreement between the Austrian, Serbian and Hungarian interior ministers to coordinate border measures, but said this was only a partial solution to the migratory pressure.

Vucic said that Serbia was not happy about the fence on the Hungarian-Serbian border, but was confident that the situation at the Serbian-Macedonian border would be settled with the help of Hungary.

Huge migration flows towards Central Europe can be experienced, and it is difficult to stop this flow, Vucic said.

Serbia registers the illegal immigrants, he said, adding that Serbia is not the first state on their route, but no one had previously registered them.

Two weeks ago, the Hungarian cabinet decided to build a 4-meter-high fence to close the 175-km-long border with Serbia to stem the flow of illegal immigrants. Endit