Hungarian minister blames Germany for migrant crisis

János Lázár, the minister in charge of the office of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has blamed Germany for "an irresponsible statement" on the part of Germany and this made immigrants move into Hungary, trying to travel on to Germany.

Germany is to blame for the migrant crisis in Budapest and German officials should inform refugees stranded at the Keleti railway station and in reception centres of the rules they must comply with if they want to travel from Hungary to Germany, the minister heading the Prime Minister's Office told journalists on Thursday.

Thousands of migrants / refugees have been stranded at Budapest’s Keleti railway station for days, as state-owned railway company MÁV temporarily stopped both incoming and outgoing traffic on Tuesday and had the station evacuated, then it has put a stop to all direct trains to Western Europe on Thursday, although the station has been reopened.

It is an obligation of the government to control people entering the European Union [through Hungary’s borders]. "Our hope is that everyone who enters Hungary from outside the EU does so according to the rules. Everyone who seeks asylum in the transit zones by the border will be accepted and we will give them protection," he said.

Lázár said authorities have asked the migrants at the Keleti station to go to the Immigraiton Office and register. Most of them do not wish to comply, he added. Lázár has asked Germany to inform the migrants about the current regulations, i.e. they may not legally travel from Hungary to Germany without registering at Hungarian authorities first.

The minister said Germany is to blame for the current situation for German statements have erased the migrants’ will to co-operate and that is why they refuse to go through the necessary legal proceedings in Hungary.