Europe is in the "eleventh hour" when it comes to acting on security, highlighted by the recent terror attack in Manchester, Hungary's foreign minister has said.
The minister made the remarks during a meeting of the foreign ministers of the V4, Baltic and Nordic states in Sopot, in northern Poland, on Tuesday.
“Europe no longer has any time to lose; after the terrorist attack in Manchester, it should be clear to everyone that we are in the eleventh hour when it comes to Europe’s security,” Minister Szijjártó said.
“Everyone in Europe should finally take it seriously that there is a lot at stake,” the minister said. The threat of terrorism faced by the continent had never been as serious as it is now, he added.
“Instead of levelling baseless accusations at each other and instead of defending Brussels’ old, provenly misguided policies,” everyone should understand that Europe’s strategies and decisions should all be aimed at restoring the continent’s security, he said.
Minister Szijjártó called long-term internal border checks within the passport-free Schengen zone “unacceptable” and “extremely damaging”, arguing that it could “kill” Europe’s economy, including that of Hungary.
In light of comments made by the interior ministers of Germany and Italy regarding the protection of the EU’s external borders, the minister said he was glad to see that a growing number of European politicians “recognize that Hungary’s stance is the correct one, and that in addition to protecting our external borders, we should extend our lines of defense to Africa and that eligibility for entry into the EU should be determined outside the EU’s borders”.