OREANDA-NEWS The Visegrád partners adopted a decision to offer the Member States with external borders their participation in the protection of their external borders should the need arise, Interior Minister Sándor Pintér said after he consulted with his V4 counterparts.
Upon rendering an account of the meeting held under the auspices of the Hungarian V4 Presidency, the Interior Minister said: this was not the first time they made such an offer, and they decided in light of the positive experiences to repeat their offer and to provide assistance directly as the V4. Mr Pintér highlighted: an appropriate response must be given to the migration crisis, but it is necessary to refrain from what the EU did: they let everyone in and distribute the people among themselves.

As he said, they reviewed a proposal of the European Commission concerning the protection of the internal Schengen borders. They have yet to study this proposal further, they wish to create a joint position regarding the document, and to do so, experts have yet to conduct consultations. The Interior Minister pointed out: the EU Member States which voted for the mandatory redistribution quotas themselves fail to meet their own expectations as they have managed to distribute far fewer people so far than they originally undertook.

Different solutions must be sought: neither the agreed distribution of people, nor a permanent relocation mechanism works, he said stating his view. Mr Pintér highlighted: the V4 countries stand firmly on the foundations of the law, and according to their joint position, the Schengen Agreement lays down precisely how the external borders must be protected. The V4 countries observe these regulations and pursue their course of action in the spirit of their provisions. He also spoke about the fact that the Visegrád partners helped Hungary with the protection of its external borders. He said in answer to a question: Bulgaria erected a fence on a section of almost 200 kilometres on its border, and Hungarian border guards, too, are serving there in order to help with their border guarding efforts. If requested by Romania, we are also prepared to take part in the protection of the Eastern borders as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán himself pointed out, he added.

Slovak Interior Minister Robert Kalinák highlighted: the V4 Member States share the same view on the issue of migration, and their joint stance is always better heeded than their views stated separately. A number of developments have recently justified the Visegrád position, and the V4 countries have earned themselves a great deal of reputation by having taken united action in the interest of the protection of their citizens and countries and by virtue of the fact that the passage of time validates their proposals, he said.

According to the Slovak Minister, the failure of the redistribution mechanism, too, has proved the V4 right because the protection of the external borders is the right solution. He remarked: Hungary has always fully observed the Schengen regulations, and Slovakia has always supported Hungary in these efforts.

Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Blaszczak stressed: the V4 partners swiftly reached a common denominator regarding the fact that the system of mandatory distribution is unacceptable, this system only adds to the migration crisis, and does not help with its resolution. At the same time, the V4 countries prove their solidarity towards their partners with the assistance they are now offering with the protection of the external borders.

Jiri Novacek, Czech Deputy Minister responsible for internal security pointed out that the V4 voiced an opinion that is contrary to the views of the European Commission as, in their opinion, it is not right that the distribution of migrants can be the only form of the manifestation of solidarity. This is not a realistic project, the V4 have drawn attention to the fact that this is not going to work right from the beginning, he reiterated.