Migration still poses a security risk and the Western Balkans region is still experiencing migration pressure, Péter Szijjártó told public news channel M1. Szijjártó said that at his talks with the interior ministers of the Western Balkan countries this past week, the ministers told him that their countries were seeing an inflow of illegal migrants. They also confirmed, he said, that mercenaries of the Islamic State terrorist group were trying to return to Europe.
The minister was also asked to comment on press reports that on Thursday three parties within the European People’s Party called for the expulsion of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz from the group. Szijjártó said debates within the EPP on whether Europe’s demographic challenges and labour shortages should be resolved through immigration dated back to 2011. Hungary had already said back then that immigration was not the answer, but the debate has now intensified, he said, arguing that at stake in the upcoming European parliamentary elections was whether the EP would be controlled by a pro-migration or anti-migration majority.