Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met for a summit in Slovakia, with the topic of migration high on their list.
Since 2015, 8 million asylum applications have been submitted in the EU, and the number of illegal border crossing attempts was 3.8 million in recent years, one million of which were at the Hungarian border. Last year, 430,000 decisions were made in the EU to deport immigrants, but they were only able to implement tens of thousands of them, reports Magyar Nemzet.
Orbán posted on his X account: “There is a rebellion in Brussels against migration. Brussels’ Migration Pact is part of the problem, not the solution. The only way to solve the European migration crisis is by protecting our borders and stopping migration. This is what we’re here for.”
Robert Fico, fully recovered from the assassination attempt he survived back in May, called the meeting exceptional at their press conference, saying, “We were right when we said that the external borders of the Union must be protected and that migrants who have entered do not need to be distributed.”
The Slovak prime minister said that “we live in times when everything is changing,” thanking both Hungary and Serbia for helping curb illegal migration. He also expressed his full support for Serbia to become a member of the EU.
Orbán emphasized that he is grateful that Fico invited him to the tripartite summit, adding that when the assassination attempt took place, it hit Hungary hard.
“I have never seen such pro-Slovak manifestations in Hungary as at that time,” the Hungarian prime minister said.
Vučić said that thanks to joint work with Hungary, there are 80 percent fewer migrants this year than before. He also expressed his pleasure to see Robert Fico in good condition after the attack, adding that he was disturbed that many people in Europe pretended that the attack had never happened.
Vučić noted that the three leaders had also spoken about the importance of peace in Ukraine, which he said is not very popular for many in Europe. Orbán said that it was a joy to be able to talk about peace without it being seen as a curse word.
Orbán said Serbia and Slovakia are crucial countries for Hungary in terms of energy supply. Together, the Hungarian PM said, the three leaders have decades of experience in leading their countries and will use this experience to boost regional cooperation on various fronts.
In response to a journalist’s question, Orbán said that hotspots should be created where migrants depart from. “Only people in whose case the decision has been made should enter the territory of the European Union,” he stressed. Asked about a migrant hotspot in the area of Serbia, Vučić said this is out of the question.
Fico asked why Europe does not act more seriously in the face of the looming migration threat, adding that the Visegrád Four cooperation should be continued and that he was open to cooperation with Belgrade as well.
Orbán noted that the situation in Brussels is “close to rebellion,” mentioning “revolts” coming out of Poland and Germany as well.
“This serves to destroy the migration pact and the European cooperation, Schengen. Bad management of the EU creates a situation in which member states cancel agreements. It all falls apart,” he said.
