The governments of Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia join forces to fight against illegal migration. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met in Slovakia to discuss joint action.
Ahead of the meeting, Viktor Orban shared a post on social media, writing:
Together we fight against illegal migration!
Robert Fico described the meeting as exceptional during the press conference, which mainly focused on illegal migration but other issues were also touched on.
We were right to say that the EU’s external borders must be protected, instead of migrants entering the EU distributed,
Slovakia's prime minister said. He thanked Serbia for helping curb illegal migration. Fico expressed his full support for Serbia’s EU membership, which he said was a legitimate ambition.
We live in times when everything is changing,
he added.
He also thanked Viktor Orban for what Hungary is doing to contain migration.
The leaders have adopted a joint declaration with conclusions. They also spoke about the war in Ukraine.
Aleksandar Vucic pointed out that thanks to joint work, there are 80 percent fewer migrants this year than before. He underlined that he was pleased to see Robert Fico in good shape after the assassination attempt, and added that he was disturbed that many in Europe pretended the attack had never happened.
Serbia's president said that the three politicians present also discussed the importance of peace, which is not too popular with many opinion leaders in Europe.
PM Orban stressed that he is grateful that Prime Minister Fico has invited him to the trilateral summit. He noted that when the assassination attempt took place, it was experienced in Hungary as a loss.
I have never seen such pro-Slovak manifestations in Hungary as I saw then,
he added.
He highlighted that the three current leaders have 40 years of experience at the helm of their countries. This also means responsibility for regional cooperation. PM Orban agreed that "what we have said has happened regarding migration. If we let in millions of migrants, there will be trouble," he underlined.
Since 2015, eight million asylum applications have been lodged in the EU. The number of illegal border crossing attempts in recent years was 3.8 million, of which one million were at the Hungarian border. Last year, 430 thousand decisions were made in the EU to expel migrants, but only a few tens of thousands of them were enforced.
Now Schengen is also in danger because Western leaders are panicking and bringing decisions to reintroduce border controls, he said”
PM Orban also spoke about economic cooperation. He noted that Serbia and Slovakia are crucial countries for Hungary in terms of energy supply, adding that he was pleased that peace is not a curse word in this context.
In response to a question from a journalist, the Hungary's prime minister explained that hot spots should be set up in places where migrants are coming from.
Only people who receive a positive decision may enter the territory of the European Union,
he stressed. He left open the possibility of further cooperation between Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia.
Robert Fico raised te question of why Europe is not taking more serious action against the looming threat of migration. Speaking about the Visegrad Four cooperation, he said that it should be continued, adding that he is open to cooperation with Belgrade.
Aleksandar Vucic highlighted that thanks to Viktor Orban and his initiatives, Hungary and Serbia have never had such good relations as they have now, mutually supporting each other. The president stressed that Serbia does not want any hot spots in its territory, and that this has not even been considered.
In answer to a journalist's question, Hungary's prime minister pointed out that the migrants forced on Hungary by Brussels will be taken to Brussels.
The situation in the European Union is close to a rebellion, he remarked, adding that both the Polish prime minister and the German chancellor have put up resistance.
This destroys the migration pact and the European cooperation, and dismantles the Schengen zone. The EU's bad management is creating a situation that is leading to member states terminating agreements.
The whole thing is falling apart,
he added.
Cover photo: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (center), Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (left) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Photo: AFP)
