(Geneva) The head of Hungarian diplomacy said Wednesday at a meeting at the UN in Geneva that his country was opening its doors to refugees from Ukraine, but continued to block the way to “aggressive” irregular migrants.
Posted at 1:10 p.m.
“Hungary has already accepted more than 100,000 refugees from Ukraine, more than 100,000 in less than a week,” declared Peter Szijjarto, before the United Nations Human Rights Council.
According to the UN, the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine for neighboring countries reached almost 875,000 people in 1er March. Poland is the main host country, followed by Hungary, with more than 116,000 refugees.
The Hungarian government, known for its staunchly anti-migrant policy, has opened its border to Ukrainians fleeing the war.
Budapest has even adopted a regulation allowing citizens of third countries who have studied or worked in Ukraine “to enter the territory of Hungary without reason”, explained Mr. Szijjarto, indicating that his country “organizes for them the transfers to the nearest airports to allow them to return home. »
But Mr Szijjarto told the Human Rights Council that “false information circulates” about his country according to which irregular migrants are also allowed to enter Hungarian territory by taking advantage of the influx of refugees fleeing the fighting. in Ukraine.
” This is a lie. The truth is that we do not allow any irregular migrants to enter Hungarian territory and we will always protect Hungary from such people,” he insisted.
The head of Hungarian diplomacy then explained that any form of comparison between people fleeing war and irregular migrants must be rejected.
“Irregular migrants tend to behave aggressively […], they destroy the infrastructures and they attack the police. But the refugees from Ukraine, they come to the border crossings, they line up in a very disciplined and very patient way for hours and hours, sometimes even for a day,” Szijjarto said.
“They are cooperating with the authorities,” he said, judging that “a comparison between these two groups of people was humiliating for these innocent people in need who are fleeing Ukraine”.
Both the UN and migrant rights advocates have repeatedly criticized sovereignist Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s anti-migrant policy, and accused the country of denying access to its territory to people in real need of protection. .