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Hungarian-Bavarian chiefs back accord with Turkey on migrant issue

Xinhua, March 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Bavarian Minister-President (Governor) Horst Seehofer told a joint news conference here on Friday that they both supported reaching a European Union agreement with Turkey under which the EU would help Turkey manage the inflow of migrants, which included funding.

The EU-Turkey talks are scheduled for Monday.

Seehofer has been supportive of Hungary's efforts to reduce the flow of migrants through strict border controls and fences, which put his CSU party into conflict with its bigger sister, the CDU party of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Orban thanked Seehofer for his understanding of Hungary's difficulties but emphasized that "we are not here to oppose Angela Merkel!"

The two officials underlined that they had no intention of weakening the German government. Hungary has a vested interest in a strong German government and a strong German chancellor, Orban said.

Bavaria, in the southeast of Germany, has borne the brunt of the 1.1 million asylum-seekers entering Germany in 2015, most of whom crossed into Bavaria from Austria.

Despite their hopes for an agreement with Turkey, both men underlined the importance of additional action. Seehofer called for measures to reduce the overall number of migrants, halting all inflow across the EU's outer borders.

The system has to be redesigned as an operative one, relying on rules we can actually adhere to, and which both we and the migrants can rely on, Seehofer said.

Orban called for defense of internal borders, too. He underlined that agreement with Turkey would not substitute for the ability to defend "our own borders with our own forces," which, he said, he wanted to see hermetically sealed.

As far as Hungary is concerned, said Orban, the optimum number of migrants is zero so Hungary would not support any agreement that moved migrants into Hungary from Turkey.

"The culture of non-adherence to (EU) treaties" such as the Schengen treaty, will "dig Europe's grave," Orban said.

Regarding the possible termination of the visa requirement for Turkish nationals entering the EU, Orban said only that if any country is granted a visa exemption, it should be Ukraine. Endit