Flowers and teddy bears won't be of any help, force is needed to protect borders against migrants. This was said in Belgrade, at the second tripartite summit of Serbia, Austria and Hungary. Pushing back illegal migration was the focus of talks between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The top officials of the three countries have signed a memorandum of understanding on taking joint action against illegal migration, with Austria, Hungary and Serbia assisting each other in tackling this challenge.

Photo: Facebook page of Serbia’s president

Hungary is in a unique situation, Viktor Orban began his speech at the press conference. The Hungarian prime minister pointed out that his country is under double pressure. On the one hand, Ukraine is a neighbouring country, where a war is raging, on the other hand, migration pressure from Serbia is strong. The Hungarian premier also touched on Tuesday’s incident, saying that „Polish citizens died, and we offer our condolences from here again”. We are in danger economically, but also physically, Mr Orban emphasized.

„If there’s a war next door, you’re not safe either,” Viktor Orban said, adding that „we want a ceasefire and peace”.

At the press conference, Hungary’s prime minister thanked Aleksandar Vucic for his cooperation. He said that there is strength in Serbian-Hungarian relations, with Serbs and Hungarians sharing a common fate.

The premier explained this by saying that the people of the two nations help each other out in times of trouble. The vital instinct of Hungarians and Serbs tells us that we must cooperate, Mr Orban said, adding that Aleksandar Vucic is the best Serb partner in Hungary’s history.

Speaking about the figures, he noted that as many as 250 thousand illegal border-crossing attempts had been foiled so far this year.

„Not only are their numbers growing, but they are also becoming more aggressive,” Viktor Orban emphasized.

The service personnel protecting the border are forced to use their weapons, he added. This meeting is important not only for Hungarians, the entire Balkan region is suffering, and it must also be said that migration should be stopped, not managed, the head of Hungary’s government stated.

„Migrants will stop coming to your country only under one condition, if they know that they will not succeed,” he underlined.

Crossing the border illegally is a crime, Viktor Orban stated. He highlighted that since 2015, Hungary has spent some 1.6 billion euros on border protection, and Brussels has reimbursed barely more than one per cent of that. Serbia is a key country to European security, and Serbia’s EU membership is in Europe’s interest, he said. We would be much better-equipped to stop migration if Serbia were within the bloc. Therefore, Hungary continues to urge the European Union to approve Serbia’s full membership.

Until this happens, the only goal we can pursue is to push our lines of defence as far south as possible, PM Orban said, adding that Hungary will provide personnel and technical equipment for that purpose. In response to a question from Hungary’s M1 public media, Viktor Orban said that there are three different statuses in the Hungarian mind. There are refugees who are governed by international rules on asylum and there are guest workers, whose status is legally regulated by the given country. Migrants, however, are breaking the law. They want to cross borders illegally. In their case, teddy bears and bouquets of flowers won’t be of any help at the border, he underlined.

Mr Orban expressed the country’s gratitude to Serbia, for the only pipeline that conveys meaningful quantities of gas to Hungary runs through Serbia. Belgrade acts in a fair manner in today’s hostile world. Mr Orban said he was sure that as long as the Serbs have gas, so will the Hungarians, and vice versa. Speaking about Serbia’s accession to the EU, he reiterated that Serbia should have been admitted yesterday or the day before yesterday. In the second half of 2024 Hungary will hold the presidency of the EU, and if there is no significant progress by then, Hungary could facilitate the process, Viktor Orban stated.

It is an honour that his country has such friends, Aleksandar Vucic said at the joint press conference. He said they have signed an important agreement and their teams will work on its implementation, with the first phase to be completed by the end of the year.

Photo: Facebook page of Serbia’s president

Serbia’s president also highlighted the increasing migratory pressure. The figures show that twice as many illegal immigrants have arrived in Serbia this year than in the previous year. Belgrade is taking serious measures to curb this, including aligning its visa policy with the EU and withdrawing the visa-free regime for Tunisian citizens. The Serbian leadership is set to make the same decision for two more countries, he added.

Most migrants on the Balkan route arrive in Serbia from North Macedonia. They make up 51 per cent of migrants, while 32 per cent come from Bulgaria.

„We have discussed plans to have more police on the border between Macedonia and Serbia with the help of Austria and Hungary,” Mr Vucic said.

Serbia does not want to be a waiting room for migrants. Those who have no chance of being granted refugee status will have to be flown to their country of origin, the Serbian president added.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said at the press conference that this is a cooperation based on trust. The three countries have signed a partnership agreement to fight illegal migration. It is clear that the EU’s refugee policy is failing, and that a situation has arisen where member states are forced to look for new partners outside the EU, Mr Nehammer pointed out. The solutions applied by the EU are not enough, he added.

It is encouraging that much has happened since the last meeting, the chancellor said. Belgrade has done its utmost to put an end to asylum tourism. Mr Nehammer also announced that Austria will provide 100 police officers for the Serbia-Macedonia border, and will help with technical equipment, drones and thermal cameras.

Two EU countries are sending a strong signal to Brussels that Serbia is a reliable country, the Austrian politician underlined.

Photo: Facebook page of Serbia’s president

Precursor to the cooperation

The first Austria-Serbia-Hungary trilateral summit was held in Budapest at the beginning of October, and Wednesday’s summit was the next chapter. The primary aim of the cooperation is to fight illegal migration and thus reduce pressure at the borders. Already after the first meeting, the relevant ministers discussed the framework fora practical cooperation. It was agreed that Serbia would receive help from Austria and Hungary to defend its border with North Macedonian, due to the high number of illegal immigrants.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said ahead of Wednesday’s meeting that the aim of the Belgrade summit was to form a strong axis in the fight against illegal migration and to take joint measures for stronger border protection. Mr Nehammer has previously said that the European asylum system has failed. “As long as the European Commission does not take action, we have to take measures ourselves, and we are doing so,” he stressed.

Patience running out along Serbia-Hungary border

As V4NA has reported several times, the number of illegal immigrants camping in northern Serbia has increased significantly in the recent period. Locals are often frightened by the sight of migrants, as they congregate and walk in groups in the middle of the night. Their aim is to cross the fence on the Hungary-Serbia border into the European Union.

Photo: V4NA

In recent months, there have also been shootings among migrants, and farmers in the area have complained of the illegals stealing their crops and moving into abandoned houses. It also happened that on colder nights they set the floorboards on fire, and also steal electricity. Although Serbia has already taken action against illegal immigrants in several cases, the measures have only worked for a while. When the authorities bussed the migrants to reception centres in the southernmost part of the country, within hours the migrants were back in the towns along the Hungary-Serbia border, such as Subotica or Kanjiza, with the money they had received from abroad in their pockets. The wealthier travel north by taxi, while the poorer by bus.