Orbán’s advisor: Hungary must prepare for renewed migration wave

Budapest (MTI) – Hungary must prepare for the possibility that a new wave of migrants could soon make their way towards the country, the prime minister’s chief security advisor said on Tuesday.

Hungary’s Oct. 2 quota referendum is the only way Hungarians can express their opinion on a matter that significantly affects their future, György Bakondi told a news conference in Eger, in northern Hungary.

A responsible government has to be prepared for the possibility that the migration deal between the European Union and Turkey could fail and then a fresh wave of migrants will set off for western Europe on the “well-established route” that would also take them through Hungary, Bakondi said.

Hungary has to use every legal method it can to prevent illegal border crossings into its territory and uphold public security, he said.

Bakondi said Europe now faces unprecedented security challenges, noting the Ukraine conflict, Brexit and “mass, illegal and aggressive” migration.

He said that a total of 400,000 migrants from 104 countries passed through Hungary last year. He said this proved that claims that the wave of migrants consists solely of Syrian refugees fleeing the ongoing war in their country had been inaccurate.