The foreign ministers of Hungary and Serbia, Peter Szijjarto and Ivica Dacic, have met in Budapest to discuss ways to work together against new migrant flows.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto once more stressed his government's commitment to fight irregular immigration during a meeting on Wednesday, January 10, with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic in Budapest.
During a joint press conference, Szijjarto praised the cooperation between the two countries , stressing that last year some 270,000 irregular migrants had been apprehended at the border between Hungary and Serbia.
According to the Hungarian minister, the consequences of the Russian war in Ukraine and irregular immigration patters were the two main problems in terms of security affecting Hungary and Serbia, as well as the European Union as a whole.
"The consequences of war and illegal immigration are apparent in both our countries at the same time, and both sides are interested in a fast resumption of peace in Ukraine.
"We are not responsible for this war, and its continuation or deterioration represent a serious threat for both our countries," he said.
Hungary to help protect Serbia's border
The foreign minister was also quoted by Serbian media as saying that Hungary intended to help Serbia to control and manage its southern border with North Macedonia.
"It is not in our best interest for Serbia to become a parking lot for migrants," he said. "This is why we want to offer support to patrol the southern border of Serbia."
Szijjarto added that the situation along the border will also be discussed at the next trilateral meeting between Hungary, Serbia and Austria. He also commented that these migrant flows should be blocked from proceeding into the EU as far south as possible.