Portuguese paper interview with Orbán : Hungary cannot be forced to receive migrants

Budapest (MTI) – No one can force Hungary to receive migrants, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in an interview with the Portuguese paper Expresso.

Orbán said his position on the migrant situation completely differs from the European Commission’s because he does not believe that demographic and economic difficulties could be resolved with the help of migration.

Despite Hungary’s efforts to protect the European Union at its borders with Serbia, Croatia and Romania and enforce the Schengen treaty, the country is subject to criticism, Orbán said. Hungary did try to resolve the situation without sealing the borders but the migrants “did not accept this”, forcing the country to build “walls”, he said.

Orbán called the EU-Turkey deal a necessary move, adding that he supported all bilateral agreements with states from where migrants can be expected to arrive in Europe. It was also a good decision to pay the Turks because they cannot handle the pressure of migration without help, he added.

Outlining the essence of his Schengen 2.0 proposal, Orbán said that all reception centres and refugee camps should be located outside the EU, and the quota system should be a voluntary option.