Hungary built fences bordering two countries last year to stop Muslim migration because "it is not a fundamental human right to pick a country where you would like to live in and in order to get there, just violate borders between safe countries," a top Hungarian official told Newsmax TV on Wednesday.
"These people came to us from Serbia and from Croatia, two peaceful countries," Péter Szijjártó, Hungarian minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, told Newsmax TV host Ed Berliner in an interview.
"I don't think there is any excuse for anyone to violate the border between two safe countries," he added. "In order to be able to protect our border, we had no other choice — protecting more than 500 kilometers of border totally plain without any kind of major natural obstacles.
"The only way to do it is building a fence and put police there."
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Hungary erected the borders after nearly 400,000 migrants passed through the country on their way to Germany and other destinations in Western Europe.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that he wants no immigration from outside Europe and that his country will solve its demographic problems and dwindling workforce with policies that include higher subsidies for families with children.
The government is also sponsoring a referendum expected to be held by the end of October against a plan by the European Union to resettle refugees in Italy and Greece to other countries in the bloc.
Orbán's perceived authoritarianism has come under attack by President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Szijjártó, 37, who has been in office for nearly two years, told Berliner that Hungary opposes the EU plan as a way to keep terrorism out of the country.
"Without control or regulation, then it gives opportunity for terrorist organizations to send their terrorists and to send their fighters to Europe," he said, citing last November's attacks in Paris. "The threat of terror in Europe is now extremely high as a consequence of the uncontrolled and unregulated mass migration.
"We were successful to maintain Hungary as a safe place because as we sealed off our green border — and we made it very clear that entering the territory of Hungary can only happen according to the international European and national regulations.
"No other way," Szijjártó added.
"Hungary remained a safe place, investments and people are safe in the country," he added, "but unfortunately, Europe has been facing tremendous challenges regarding public security and terrorism."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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