Hungary "No Refugee Acceptance Due to COVID-19 Concerns"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Hungary announced on the 2nd (local time) that it will stop accepting additional refugee applicants. This decision follows Turkey's announcement that it will no longer prevent migrants within its borders from heading to Europe.

According to AFP, Gy?rgy Bakondi, Hungary's security advisor, held a press conference the day before and said that this decision was made to protect refugee applicants already admitted to refugee camps set up near the Serbian border. He pointed out that most migrants trying to reach Europe from Turkey are not from Syria, where the civil war has intensified, but from Afghanistan, Palestine, and Iran.

He especially noted that these migrants passed through Iran, which has become a COVID-19 hotspot in the Middle East, and argued that accepting them would jeopardize the safety of the 321 migrants already waiting for refugee approval in the camps.

Currently, there are no reported COVID-19 cases in Hungary. Advisor Bakondi added, "Hungary will not open (its borders) and will not allow anyone to pass," stating that police and military forces will be reinforced at the border.

Meanwhile, since Turkey declared on the 28th of last month that it would not block migrants entering its territory from heading to Europe, more than 10,000 migrants have flocked to Greece, a neighboring country and European Union (EU) member state, attempting to cross the border, raising renewed concerns about a refugee crisis.

Turkey had agreed to receive refugees hoping to go to Europe during the 2015 refugee crisis in exchange for economic support from European countries, but has claimed that Europe has not kept its promises and has threatened since last year to open the door for refugees to Europe.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.