External allies are needed to stop the waves of migration, and from this point of view, Egypt is an extremely important partner, so the European Union should also approach it accordingly, according to the ministry, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said after meeting with his colleagues from Visegrád (V4) and Egypt in Budapest on Monday.
According to the announcement, following the supplementary meeting of the Visegrad countries with Egypt, Péter Szijjártó reported that the world is facing serious security challenges due to the failure of the international intervention in Afghanistan. At the same time, according to him, this situation is not new for Europe, since the continent has been under constant migration pressure since 2015. "We, the Visegrád countries, can rightly be proud of ourselves, since the four of us together prevented the introduction of mandatory resettlement quotas in Europe," he said, adding that if this had not succeeded, "thousands or tens of thousands of illegal migrants would be living in our countries today." He pointed out that there is a need for close cooperation even now, because in international politics "mistakes are piled on mistakes" and irresponsible statements threaten new waves of immigration even bigger than before.
Péter Szijjártó emphasized that four million internally displaced people live in Afghanistan, they have already left their homes, and their goal is to leave the country. "You can already hear hints and suggestions that these migrants will have to be redistributed". He stated: the government has already evacuated all those who helped Hungary in the past, and will not accept anyone else from the South Asian country. He also reported that, in addition to the southern direction, migration pressure has also appeared in Europe from the east, which Poland is now forced to face. He emphasized that external allies are needed to stop the waves of immigration, and Egypt is an important partner of the EU in this . He underlined: Cairo has proved that it is possible to stop migration via the sea route as well, after closing the sea borders and eliminating human smuggling networks. "We would consider it expedient if the EU approached Egypt accordingly. It would be good if the volume of statements condemning Egypt could be turned down a little in the coming period, and also if the European development financial resources intended to be transferred actually arrived". We count on Egypt in the future as well - he concluded. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade announced that the V4 will examine whether it is true that Egypt cannot get access to technologies that would make its border protection even more effective due to various EU sanctions.
According to the press release Egyptian Számeh Sukri Jakub Kulhánek , Mariusz Blaszczak and Slovak State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Martin Klus
Mariusz Blaszczak emphasized the need to protect the borders of Poland and the European Union , and for this purpose Warsaw has already taken a number of measures. As he said, illegal immigration and terrorism are a serious threat, and responsible governments must do everything to protect citizens.
Számeh Sukri also highlighted the importance of action against illegal migration. He pointed out that his country is home to 5.5-6 million immigrants, which is more than the entire population of other countries, so they need help from international partners. He added that they are fighting with great strength against extremist ideologies, the spread of which poses a threat to both the region and Europe .
Jakub Kulhánek praised the intensive cultural, economic and security cooperation between the EU and Egypt. He emphasized that Egypt is a close ally and plays a key role in terms of stability in the Middle East.
Martin Klus emphasized: the V4 has always been a platform of cooperation and solidarity, and accordingly the partners provide assistance to Poland in the management of migration, and also to Egypt, for example.
After the meeting, the politicians presented at a press conference the challenges facing their countries and how Egypt helps curb illegal migration. The entire material of the information can be viewed below.
Source: MTI
In our opening photo: Slovak State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Martin Klus, Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak, Foreign Trade and Foreign Affairs Minister Péter Szijjártó, Egyptian Számeh Sukri and Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhánek (bj) at the press conference held at the V4+Egypt meeting in the Puskás Arena on October 11, 2021. MTI/Lajos Soós