Addressing the conference, which saw the participation of 56 countries and 11 international organisations and was themed on the protection of persecuted minorities in the Middle East, Zoltán Balog said that the country received 1000 Eastern Christian families in 2013-2014 without notifying the public and also provided them citizenship while allowing them to return to their homeland whenever they wish to do so.

The families were provided refuge in Hungary on the basis of certificates issued by Christian leaders in their places of origin. “We have provided them refuge and are ready to do so in the future, but only in this safe way”, he stressed, adding that the people in question were genuinely forced to seek protection abroad.

The minister also stessed that a refugee camp in Erbil, Iraq, is protected by a Hungarian contingent numbering over 100 military personnel, at a cost of several billion forints to the country.

The meeting was centred upon what can be done to prevent Middle Eastern minorities from having to flee their homelands and what measures have to be taken to enable them to later return to their homes and live in safety while preserving the culture, which dates back several thousand years, in which these communities live, Mr. Balog told the Hungarian state news agency MTI.

Source: hungarytoday.hu

Republished with permission