Peter Szijjarto claims Brussels' migration policy 'only leads to tragedies'

Brussels' migration policy only leads to tragedies, as demonstrated by the latest accident off the coast of Greece, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Wednesday on Facebook, following reports of the death of at least 15 migrants the day before when their boat collided with a Greek coast guard vessel off the island of Chios, MTI news agency writes.

“How many more people have to die because of Brussels' migration policy?!” Szijjarto wrote.

“For a decade, the pro-migration policies of Brussels have encouraged people from outside Europe to come here illegally. The consequences are clearly visible in the big cities of Europe,” the head of Hungarian diplomacy also claimed.

Szijjarto recalled that “Hungary opposes Brussels”. “We built a fence, we rejected mandatory resettlement quotas and our country remains migrant-free. But Brussels refuses to give up. It continues to fuel the business model of human traffickers, encouraging those seeking a better life to pay traffickers, risk their lives and come to Europe in ever-increasing numbers,” he said.

“The more people they bring, the more pressure is on us to take them in,” the minister insisted, adding that “this migration policy only leads to tragedies. Terrorist threats are multiplying in Western Europe, Christmas celebrations have been disrupted in many places, and now more migrants have drowned at sea.”

According to the ANA-MPA agency, the European Commission assured on Wednesday that it is aware of the tragedy of the death of some migrants at sea off the island of Chios, emphasizing at the same time that the investigation into the accident is the responsibility of the Greek authorities, notes Agerpres.

The commission also indicated that it is closely monitoring developments and the search and rescue operation and is in close contact with the Greek authorities.

Commission spokesman Marcus Lammert also said that every human life lost at sea is a tragedy, noting that many people put their lives at risk and then lose their lives to people smugglers, a problem the European Commission systematically tries to prevent. In this context, he emphasized the importance of collaboration with partner states.