Hungarian FM "shocked" by French counterpart's criticism of border fence

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto described his French counterpart Laurent Fabius' critique of a fence Hungary has put up on its border as shocking and astounding in a Sunday statement to local wire service MTI.

It looks as though some people in Europe are still unable to understand the hair-raising and appalling pressure put on Hungary by the migration wave coming from the West Balkans, Szijjarto said, adding that he would summon France's charge d'affaires to the Hungarian foreign ministry on Monday.

In an interview broadcast on Europe 1 radio, I-Tele television and published by the daily Le Monde, Fabius called the behavior of certain East European countries "scandalous" and separately criticized Hungary because of the fence on the border, charging that it was not respecting common European values.

The statement exchange follows the Defense Ministry's announcement that it had finished installing the "first phase" of the seal (a 175 km razor-wire fence) on the border with Serbia intended to prevent illegal crossings into Hungary, the first step into the European Union (EU).

Szijjarto said that the situation will be dreadful by year end unless the government acted to halt the flow.

On his part, Szijjarto called for all European countries to adhere to Schengen (EU border control) regulations which calls on all EU member countries to protect the exterior borders of the EU, and that is exactly what Hungary is trying to do.

Szijjarto charged that the EU's current lack of a policy and strategy in the face of the wave of refugees will have a distressing effect on the entire continent.

Instead of the "shocking and groundless labeling of one another it would be better to concentrate on offering a joint European-level solution," he said.

"We need to find a way to halt the migration pressure," he added.

Since the start of the year over 140,000 refugees have entered Hungary. Endit