Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban wants to help Romania seal its eastern border because otherwise the country "will be overwhelmed by migrants”.

“If it’s necessary, we will be happy to help Romania to protect its eastern borders,” he said in an interview for the Oradea-based Hungarian language magazine Bihari Naplo, writes local Adevarul.ro.

He added that Romania will be “overwhelmed by migrants” if the authorities do nothing to prevent this, in which case Hungary will have no choice to build a fence at its border with Romania.

Viktor Orban also wants to establish a relational framework between the governing parties in Budapest and Bucharest and said he has developed a “promising personal relation” with Liviu Dragnea, the leader of Romania’s governing Social Democratic Party (PSD).

The Hungarian PM also invited Romania to join the ranks of the “Visegrad Group” in developing common policies. “The Poles, Czechs, Hungarians and Slovaks will surely record serious successes together if the Slovenes can also be added here. It is up to the Romanians to decide whether to join the Central European success story in cooperation with the Hungarians, launching joint economic projects and setting targets,” Orban said. “We will leave this door open,” he added.

The Visegrad Group has had several conflicts with the EU lately, mainly related to the refusal to respect the mandatory refugee quotas. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker invited the leaders of the four states to a dinner on October 18 in an effort to reduce tensions.

Ministry: Hungary will support Romania’s OECD membership

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Hungarian Government)