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Peter Szijjarto: ' Migration Became A Security Threat'

As the refugee crisis in Europe continues to divide the continent, world leaders gather in New York for the annual United Nations General Assembly, and the issue of refugees tops the agenda. Among European nations, there is a lack of consensus on how to proceed. One of the countries that very early decided to go its own way was Hungary, and it has been severely criticised for its approach. The right to a safe life is a fundamental human right, but picking a country where you would like to live in is not among fundamental human rights. So that's why I raised the issue whether you can consider anyone as a refugee, who crosses at least four peaceful countries, like Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, and then arrives to Hungary, because these people who seek for asylum had already at least four opportunities before Hungary to ask for asylum ... It's not only us, it's also the migrants as well who have to respect international and national regulations. Peter Szijjarto, Hungary's foreign minister Last year, Hungary built a fence along its border with Serbia and is deporting anyone caught climbing over it. 'Our responsibility is to protect the border, and there are certain regulations in Europe which you have to comply with if you want to enter the territory of a country. And since there is no war in Serbia, there is no reason to let people come in into the territory of Hungary, breaking the European and national regulations,' Peter Szijjarto, the Hungarian foreign minister, explains. The Hungarian government has refused to sign on to EU's programme forcing member states to accept refugee quotas - something that has led to an open split. It became evident when the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, greeted the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with the words: 'Hello, dictator'. And Juncker has not been the only one to express his disagreement. Jean Asselbourn, Luxembourg's foreign affairs minister, recently said that 'anyone who, like Hungary,

English
  • Originally Aired September 24, 2016
  • Runtime 20 minutes
  • Production Code 5136717842001
  • Network Al Jazeera
  • Created October 7, 2016 by
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  • Modified October 7, 2016 by
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Name Type Role
Peter Szijjarto Guest Star