The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria are against illegal migration and do not want to repeat 2015 when refugees pour into Europe. Andrej Babiš (ANO), Eduard Heger, and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told journalists after a meeting in Lednice in the Břeclav region today.
They commented on the situation in Afghanistan, where the radical Taliban movement has come to power after the departure of allied troops. The prime ministers said there was a need to help Afghans in their own country or neighboring countries. The United Nations estimates that up to half a million Afghans could flee to Europe.
“We should support people, which is why Austria has decided to spend a large amount of extra money – 18 million euros (about 457 million crowns) – to support Afghans in their neighboring countries,” Kurz said. He stated it was an effort to alleviate their suffering. “But we cannot allow a repeat of 2015. We are against illegal migration. We will fight people smugglers and people smuggling. There cannot be an uncontrolled migration flow into Europe, ” the Austrian chancellor said.
“There is no place for Afghans in Europe anymore,” Babiš said. If that fails, he said, the second round of negotiations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is next. “The migration problem keeps coming back. We are now also seeing a new situation in which the Belarusian regime is starting to use migration as a hybrid weapon, ” Babiš said.
Kurz added that all forms of illegal migration must be combated. He said that the countries currently affected were in Eastern Europe. “From a Western European perspective, it must be added that other countries have been experiencing migratory pressure for many years. It is essential to have external border protection, to act decisively against smugglers, and to send clear signals to all countries,” Kurz said.