Visiting the registration point at the border, Gulyás noted that from Tuesday it will be a crime to cross the border illegally, carrying a three-year prison sentence and expulsion from the country. Any halt to the migration wave will be exclusively thanks to the actions of the Hungarian government and laws passed by parliament, he said.

The rights of refugees must be observed based on international law, but migrants should not be allowed to roam around Europe while their cases are being assessed, Gulyás added.

Due to the provisions of the Dublin Convention in force, it is mainly those states on the Schengen zone’s outer periphery that become victims of the system, since migrants are forced to return to them, he said, adding that this is why it is important for Hungary to be able to protect its borders.

Gulyás said that solving the problem depends entirely on every EU member state with an external border being able to protect it. Where necessary-in Greece for examplefinancial help should be given, and the Hungarian government supports such a measure, he added.

Szilárd Németh, the (Fidesz) deputy chairman of parliament’s national security committee, said that thanks to new laws passed by parliament, police were now ready to stop the mass migration.

From Tuesday, twice as many police will be serving on the Serbian-Hungarian border, he said.

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MTI photo: Ujvári Sándor