This constitutes an enormous migration pressure, he said, adding that it creates severe technical problems for Hungary. Szijjártó said Hungary “is doing all it can” to mend the technical and capacity issues as soon as possible, so that it complies with the EU “on all aspects” of migration.

The government, he said, was informed that Austria and ten other EU countries want to return illegal migrants back to Hungary. “We do not agree with this,” he said, adding that the migrants’ first point of entry was Greece, not Hungary.

“They should be sent back there,” he said. Concerning Hungary’s plans to build a fence along the country’s southern border with Serbia, Szijjártó said the cabinet had decided to set aside a sum of 6.5 billion forints (EUR 21m) for materials and construction.

The foreign minister also said that Hungary could in the future put up similar fences along any other border section where “there is no other efficient way to prevent illegal entry”.

He said the fence along the border with Serbia is “not a bilateral issue” and “not about Serbia”.

Cooperation and relations between Hungary and Serbia have never been “as good, as smooth and as effective” as they are now, he said.

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MTI photo: Máthé Zoltán