Army starts constructing border fence – UPDATE

Budapest, July 13 (MTI) – The Hungarian army on Monday started building the border fence to stem the massive flow of illegal migrants across Hungary’s border with Serbia.

The army started preparatory work on a 150-metre section – felling, cutting the underbush, and road building – in the area, on the outskirts of Morahalom, the interior and defence ministries said in a joint statement.

Illegal migration towards Europe has become a threat to the continent. On average, 1,000 illegal immigrants cross the Serbian-Hungarian border every day, making illegal immigration a serious problem. Out of 78,190 illegal immigrants registered this year, 77,600 arrived across Serbia, the statement said.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on June 17 that the interior minister had been ordered to prepare for the construction of a 4-metre fence along a 175-kilometre section of Hungary’s border with Serbia.

On July 6, parliament granted the Hungarian state use of a ten metres strip within the European Union’s outer Schengen borders to ensure fast construction of the border fence.