Hungary, Austria foreign ministers discuss bilateral ties, EU challenges

Budapest, June 23 (MTI) – Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó met his Austrian colleague, Sebastian Kurz, on Thursday to discuss Europe’s migration crisis as well as bilateral relations.

The EU is going through one of the gravest crises of its history and the migration situation has generated serious disputes within the bloc, Szijjarto told a press conference after the talks. “But the Hungarian government and the Austrian foreign ministry share many of the same views [on migration],” Szijjártó said. The Austrian minister’s proposals concerning the migrant crisis are in line with Hungary’s “Schengen 2.0” plan, he added.

Szijjártó said Europe must completely rethink its migration policy. “Instead of trying to figure out how to bring in even more people and distribute the burden of migration among member states, the EU should find ways to reduce the migration pressure,” the minister said.

The crisis will not be resolved without proper border controls, Szijjarto insisted. He reiterated Hungary’s stance that hotspots should be set up outside the EU for registering migrants. He said migrants should not be allowed to enter Europe until it can be determined that they are eligible for asylum, arguing that it is very hard to send people back to their countries of origin even if it is proven that they had entered Europe illegally.

The two ministers agreed that people who try to enter Europe illegally should not be eligible for asylum. Neither should they be allowed to enter Hungary illegally from safe third countries, Szijjártó said.

Regarding bilateral ties, Szijjártó said Hungary’s interests lie in maintaining a strategic alliance with Austria. The two countries’ ties must be based on mutual respect, he added.