Hungarian and Turkish FMs discuss refugee crisis

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday discussed ways to handle the refugee crisis.

Szijjarto underlined that with the regional conflicts giving rise to a new wave of refugees, there was little hope of reducing the flow of people moving westward and northward.

Turkey, he said, had performed well in carrying out the EU-Turkey plan of action, which involves identifying and registering refugees, and attempting to house them. But he also called for a second line of "defense," a line of protection running through Macedonia and Bulgaria.

Europe, said the Hungarian FM, is not obliged to accept the people leaving their homes but to help them to return as quickly as possible and to live in dignity at home.

Help from Turkey, therefore, is vital, Szijjarto said, with Turkey being the first point of entry outside the conflict zones.

Cavusoglu called for an immediate halt to air strikes in Syria, which he said was making things worse. He called for uncovering the true reasons for the conflicts and taking action to resolve the Syrian and Iraqi situations if the crisis is to be resolved.

Cavusoglu also said he was pleased that Hungary was ready to support Turkey's candidacy for the European Union. Endit