From Voice of Europe
The Hungarian Defense Ministry
said both the armed forces and Hungarian government would do all they could to
defend the country’s border and maintain its border fence despite a new ruling
from the European Court of Justice that Hungary illegally detained asylum
seekers in transit zones.
The statement
from Hungary comes at a time when the vital Western Balkans route has seen a
sharp increase in crossing from illegal migrants. Despite a sharp fall in April
due to the border closures prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, illegal border
crossings in the Western Balkans rose by 60 percent in the first four months of
the year compared with the same period of 2019, the European Border and Coast
Guard Agency Frontex said in its April migration update.
“There were
fewer than 100 detections of illegal border crossings recorded on this route in
April, down 94% from the previous month. However, in the first four months, the
number of illegal border crossings increased by 60% from the same period of
last year to nearly 6,000,” the Frontex report wrote.
Hungarian State Secretary of the Defense Ministry
Szilárd Németh said on Sunday at the Röszke border crossing with Serbia that
with the national lockdowns coming to an end, Hungary will again face increased
pressure from illegal immigrants. He was speaking at the transit zone which
served as the focus of the European Court of Justice (ECJ)’s ruling last
week that Hungary illegally held asylum seekers there.
He reiterated the
Hungarian position that the ruling intends to force Hungary to stop defending
its border with a fence and allow immigrants into the country. He said that the
country would do all its power to continue defending its borders.
"The Fidesz-KDNP parliamentary majority and the government
will do everything in its power to maintain the [border] fence, live military
and police patrols and keep the transit zones operational," Németh said.
In its update of
the weekend's events, Hungarian police said officers apprehended 151 illegal
immigrants and transported them back to the countries they came from as well as
further 37 that have been prevented from crossing the Serbian border into
Hungary.
Just last week, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó warned of a new
migration wave threatening Europe in a videoconference meeting
with 14 EU foreign ministers.
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