Hungary, Austria to discuss migrant crisis

  • 25/09/2015
(Reuters)
(Reuters)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet with his Austrian counterpart Werner Faymann in Vienna on Friday (local time), his office says.

It comes amid growing tensions between the two over how to respond to Europe's migrant crisis.

Aside from Faymann, Orban will also meet Heinz-Christian Strache, head of far-right party FPO, for talks that will focus on "the European crisis situation caused by illegal immigration," it said on its website on Thursday (local time).

The visit comes after Orban and Faymann engaged in heated exchanges on the sidelines of a Brussels summit on Wednesday, during which EU leaders agreed to boost aid for Syria's neighbours, as well as strengthen their borders to deal with the wave of migrants.

Hungary, which migrants and refugees use as a thoroughfare from the Balkans to northern Europe - with a record 10,046 migrants arriving Wednesday from Croatia - has taken the most hardline stance in Europe on the crisis.

It refuses to grant anyone asylum, and has sealed its border with Serbia with razor wire, prompting tens of thousands to divert their route through Croatia, from where they are bussed to the Hungarian frontier.

Budapest announced on Thursday it was now considering closing its frontier with Croatia.

The move has triggered repeated criticism from Austria, which has been on the receiving end of the vast majority of migrants transiting through Hungary.

Austrian authorities said on Thursday that 8100 had entered from Hungary in the previous 36 hours.

AFP