Hungary's Orban calls migrant crisis a 'German problem'
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 3 September 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Hungary's Orban calls migrant crisis a 'German problem', 3 September 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/561d03f78.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Last updated (GMT/UTC): 03.09.2015 10:02
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said people in Europe are "full of fear" because its leaders are "not able to control" an unprecedented influx of migrants.
Speaking after talks with European Parliament President Martin Schulz in Brussels on September 3, Orban described the migrant crisis as a "German problem," not a European one.
"Nobody would like to stay in Hungary," he said. "Our job is only to register them."
Reacting to Orban's comments, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the refugee influx "is a problem that concerns us all in Europe" and that her country is doing what is morally necessary.
She said Hungary is right to say that the EU's borders have to be better protected and migrants registered "but of course that's not the end of it."
The comments come as at least 2,000 migrants have been stuck in Budapest since September 1, when migrants were prevented from getting on trains at the Hungarian capital's main station.
Many want to travel to Germany, but Hungary says it is enforcing EU rules.
Police reopened the Keleti station to migrants early on September 3, but Hungary's railway company said it had suspended all direct trains to Western destinations.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
