By: V4 Agency
The European Union must help Libya defend its borders against illegal migration, Hungary’s minister of foreign affairs and trade said in a video shared on his Facebook page on Monday, after meeting his Libyan counterpart in Luxembourg.
Stability in north Africa is closely linked to Europe’s security, Peter Szijjarto said, pointing out that Libya had recently become a transit country for “tens and hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants heading for Europe”. He noted that Libya’s upcoming general elections offered a “chance for stability and peace” in the country, with local conditions potentially calming down after the elections to be held on 24 December.
It is astonishing, the minister said, that the Libyan government had already come under attack from “various NGOs and so-called human rights groups” that were “trying to prevent the Libyan government from fighting illegal migration”.
He also indicated that the Visegrad Group countries had offered a donation of 35 million euros in 2017 to reinforce Libya’s coast guard but, “because of Brussels”, the agency only began receiving the vessels purchased on the funds recently.
“We believe that the European Union should facilitate this process and – just as the Visegrad Group countries have provided funds and support to protect maritime borders – the EU should also put together a considerable financial package to promote controls along the southern borders of Libya,” Peter Szijjarto stressed.
