Hungary respects all international norms, says Trocsanyi after meeting Jagland

Strasbourg, September 28 (MTI) – Hungary respects and will continue to respect all international norms, Justice Minister Laszlo Trocsanyi said after talks with Secretary-General of the Council of Europe (CoE) Thorbjorn Jagland on Monday.

Trocsanyi visited Strasbourg to present to Jagland recently introduced Hungarian laws and their implementation in connection with the migration crisis. Jagland had earlier contacted Prime Minister Viktor Orban and asked for his consent to a CoE review of the Hungarian legal regulations introduced on September 15.

Hungary will remain open to consultations with international organisations, Trocsanyi told a press conference.

He said some quarter of a million migrants had passed through Hungary this year and 170,000 applied for asylum. Hungary considers it a priority to act in line with Schengen rules, which is also an expectation by European governments. The Dublin Agreement on migrant procedures must also be fully implemented, with respect for human rights and regulations on refugees, he added.

Trocsanyi said he had discussed with Jagland the new Hungarian laws and described the way they are applied. He spoke about experience connected with Hungary’s sealed borders and transit zones, the situation along the border with Croatia and the criminal sanctions that can be imposed on border violators.

The minister highlighted the importance of international and civil organisations in resolving the current crisis.

“I am convinced that European solidarity is the only way to find a solution to everybody,” he added. In response to a question the minister said the fence on the Hungarian-Serbian border has yielded positive results and sealing the border has proved to be an effective method for solving the problems while relations with Belgrade have remained excellent.

“Nobody likes a fence. This is obvious. But peace and order should be maintained somehow,” he added.

Jagland said recent events on the Hungarian-Serbian border have raised concern and this is why he contacted the Hungarian prime minister.

The secretary-general expressed concern over what happens in the transit zones where the European Convention on Human Rights is still valid, just as outside the zones.