Szijjarto: Hungary to help Serbia protect its southern border from illegal migrants

BUDAPEST - Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday in Budapest around 270,000 illegal migrants had been stopped at the Serbia-Hungary border in 2022 and announced Hungary would help Serbia secure its southern border with North Macedonia from illegal migration.

"We can conclude that, on Hungary's southern border, both Hungarians and Serbs confront armed people smugglers who do not keep away from using weapons against our border guards. And therefore, my message to all the Brussels bureaucrats who are trying to present migration as a positive phenomenon is that they should come to Hungary's southern border and see what kind of danger those armed gangs pose to our border and our citizens," Szijjarto said at a press conference with Serbian FM Ivica Dacic.

Thanking Serbian colleagues, Szijjarto said Hungary had an interest in migrants being stopped at the southernmost possible point.

"We have no interest in Serbia becoming a parking lot for migrants. That is why we want to provide assistance in securing Serbia's southern border and we are ready to help with that," he said.

He said Hungary awaited the next round of Serbia-Hungary-Austria trilateral meetings so that results in stopping migration on Serbia's southern borders could be achieved as soon as possible.