Hungary urges EU to reconcile with Turkey to solve migration issue

By Mehmet Yilmaz

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AA) - The EU should resolve its problems with Turkey with regards to refugees and migration as soon as possible, said Hungary’s foreign minister on Monday.

“The coronavirus pandemic and migration will determine the world politics and economy in the future, and the EU should be prepared for this,” Peter Szijjarto told reporters following an EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.

Szijjarto said that migration waves must be stopped in order to ensure the security of Europe.

A March 2016 agreement between Turkey and the EU has been widely praised for stemming irregular migration, but Turkey says it is due for a comprehensive update, and has criticized the bloc for failing to uphold its end of the deal.

Underlining that NATO's withdrawal from Afghanistan this summer could lead to new security problems in the region, Szijjarto said it could make Afghanistan an immigration source once again.

Szijjarto stressed that thousands of families have already fled Afghanistan to reach Europe.

"All problems with Turkey over migration must be resolved as soon as possible in order to prevent new migration pressure on Europe," he said.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz