Prague, Sept 3 (CTK) – Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (Social Democrats, CSSD) will discuss the problems that may happen if Hungary releases the refugees heading for Germany at a meeting with his Slovak counterpart Robert Kalinak on Friday, Chovanec told journalists yesterday.
“We will look for joint steps with which to solve the problems that might arise if Hungary lifted its barriers and let the migrants on to Germany,” Chovanec said.
Slovakia played an important role in the migration situation in the Czech Republic on Tuesday when over 200 refugees had been detained on two international trains in Breclav, south Moravia, Chovanec said.
“The public has little if any information on our communication with the Slovaks who said that another four to five trains did not come,” he added.
“There was the threat on the day that a large number of migrants could have come to the Czech Republic,” Chovanec said.
As Slovakia exerted pressure on Hungary, it prevented the trains from passing across the Czech Republic, he added.
“We would have had no choice but to detain 1000 people,” Chovanec said, thanking his Slovak counterparts for the help.
Chovanec said Hungary was basically influencing the migration situation in the Czech Republic.
“This may mean a short-term problem for the Czech Republic we are able to deal with, but we need to know about it,” Chovanec said.
Prague will also host on Friday a meeting of the Visegrad Four (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) prime ministers.
They will discuss the migration crisis, the list of safe countries and the protection of the Schengen border.
Chovanec said yesterday the V4 interior ministers would meet in the Czech Republic around September 11 to discuss the possibility of dispatching trains to take citizens of Syria right to Germany, where they want to go.
This meeting will be followed up by EU ministers’ in Brussels. “We will act in unity within the debate in Europe,” Chovanec said.
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