Pusić: Hungary cannot solve problem by stopping refugees in Croatia

The Czech Republic is not sending troops to the Hungary-Croatia border, 21 Czech soldiers have gone to that country to assist in security and offer assistance in the refugee crisis, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said in Zagreb on Friday

(Hina) - The Czech Republic is not sending troops to the Hungary-Croatia border, 21 Czech soldiers have gone to that country to assist in security and offer assistance in the refugee crisis, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said in Zagreb on Friday.

That also applies to equipment at their disposal and according to the latest information this small contingent is located some 60 kilometres from the border, Zaoralek told reporters after a meeting with Croatia's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Vesna Pusić.

"I am particularly glad to hear from my Czech colleague that this has to do with assisting Hungary in caring for and resolving the problem of refugees and migrants within Hungary and that Czech soldiers aren't on the border," Pusić told a joint press conference.

Zaoralek said that he had participated in talks between Czech and Hungarian prime ministers Bohuslav Sobotka and Vitkor Orban, who defined precise conditions under which Czech soldiers will assist Hungary.

I don't think those conditions need to be changed, he said when asked whether that limited Czech contingent would participate in securing the border toward Croatia if Hungary considers this to be necessary. Zaoralek did not specify what these conditions were.

Czech reporters were interested in how Croatia would react if Hungary seals its border. Pusić said that from the start she believed that the EU should jointly resolve this crisis, primarily in agreement with Turkey. She expressed her belief that the refugee crisis would be partially resolved or at least abated based on the conclusions of the European Council on cooperation and forms of aid to Turkey.

According to Pusić, Hungary has behaved oddly during this period - since the refugee crisis started, it has used harsh rhetoric, yet cooperation in the field has been very good. The police and armies of both countries are cooperating well in transporting people and aid, she added. She underscored that refugees who had passed through Croatia did not wish to remain here, nor in any of the countries they have passed through en route to Germany.

"This problem with Hungary cannot be solved by stopping refugees in Croatia nor can Croatia solve it by stropping refugees in Serbia nor can Serbia solve it by stopping refugees in Macedonia. It is clear where the external border is: the external border is where Frontex is, between Greece and Turkey."

"I think that it is not in the interest of any country, whether it is a member of the EU or not, in this part of the world, to destabilise its neighbour through the refugee crisis," she said, adding that there was no alternative to cooperation.

Zaoralek did not wish to specify whether the Czech Republic would support Hungary if it decided to close its border with Croatia, which will most likely be decided in Budapest today.

Hungary is trying in all sorts of ways to solve the situation it is faced with, however if EU member states adhere to EU rules and regulations, I believe that that is in fact a joint path out of the crisis and that is what I support, he said. 

He also commented that he wasn't quite sure what closing the border meant. I would not like to have the borders we once had in the past to return because I believe that that would have bad repercussions on our lives today because we must not forget that the Czech Republic is a country that lives from exports and trade.

Minister Pusić once again reiterated that Croatia would not build any walls or wire fences.

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