Szijjártó: Unlike EU, Morocco an ally Hungary can rely on

Unlike the European Union with its “irresponsible policies”, Morocco is a partner Hungary can continue to rely on in the fight against illegal migration, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Rabat on Wednesday.

With the multitude of security challenges faced by Europe, Hungary greatly appreciates its partners that can contribute to improving the situation, rather than make it worse, Szijjártó told a joint press conference with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, according to a ministry statement.

There are armed conflicts on the continent as well as in its direct neighbourhood, while migration pressure is continuously rising and becoming increasingly difficult to manage because of the EU’s “completely irresponsible” policy, Szijjártó said.

He said the EU this year saw a record number of illegal entry attempts on its external borders, adding that Hungary, too, had registered 173,000 illegal border crossing attempts since the beginning of the year.

“Brussels’s migration policy is an irresponsible one, so we can’t rely on Brussels,” he said. “We’re very lucky to be able to rely on north African countries that pursue responsible security policies, such as Morocco.”

“We consider Morocco a bastion of defence of European security,” Szijjártó said. “We owe Morocco our gratitude for its efforts to keep migration at bay, the steps it has taken in the interest of the region’s stability, and because of its firm actions against terrorism.”