BUDAPEST: Hungary plans to start building a four-metre (13-foot) fence along its border with Serbia within weeks to stem the flow of illegal migrants, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff said on Thursday.

The landlocked central European country of 10 million people is part of the European Union’s visa-free Schengen zone and thus an attractive destination for tens of thousands of migrants entering Europe via the Balkans from the Middle East and Africa. Most then move on to wealthier western Europe.

Janos Lazar said the 175 km, Cold War-style fence, plans for which were first announced last month, would be a temporary measure and was not directed in any way against Hungary’s southern neighbour.

“Hungary needs Serbia as an ally, we want to keep this alliance and strengthen it,” Lazar told a news conference.

“We will raise this barrier on the border on a temporary basis in the hope that Europe manages to find a definitive solution to this issue soon,” he said.

The EU faces a wider migrant crisis, highlighted by the drowning of hundreds of people trying to reach its shores by crossing the Mediterranean, and is struggling to find ways of shouldering the burden between its 28 member states.

The Hungarian fence, which has angered Serbia and drawn criticism from the United Nations refugee agency, is estimated to cost $17.7million-$35.4m).

So far this year, almost 70,000 migrants have crossed into Hungary illegally, mostly over the border with Serbia.

Orban, under pressure to stem a loss of public support to the far-right Jobbik party, has said Hungary’s borders should be defended by all means.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2015

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