The ongoing debate on migrants completely disregards the fact that migrants don't want to come to Slovakia, and even if they do come here, they'll leave, said Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák on RTVS's discussion show 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday. Slovakia has granted asylum to 651 people since 1993, and three-quarters of them have left since then. Another 130 have requested asylum in Slovakia since the beginning of this year, with only 28 of them still here. The rest have already left without even waiting to see how their requests would pan out, said Lajčák.
The minister added that he's trying to get this message across to his peers in the EU in order to justify Slovakia's opposition to the quotas. "So, you'll launch a lottery, and the winners will go to Germany and the losers to Slovakia, Latvia or Estonia? That's badly thought out," he said. In response, Slovakia has come up with the idea of becoming a temporary home for asylum seekers, such as those from Austria who are currently residing in Gabčíkovo (Trnava region).
According to Lajčák, the debate on migrants lays bare the differences in the make-up of societies in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Spain and the like on one side, and Slovakia, for instance, which hasn't been exposed to such migration in its history. The European Commission has come to grips with the issue in a bureaucratic and arbitrary manner, however, and by coming up with "certain figures", he added. "Naturally, our people have begun to feel unsafe in that somebody is attempting to change their values and way of life without even asking them what their take on this is", he said. Chairman of Parliament's foreign committee František Šebej (Most-Hid) noted that nobody views quotas as a good idea, but Slovakia should have 'made a gesture' both towards the refugees and the countries that are most exposed to mass arrivals. While Slovakia isn't a wealthy country, it could readily take care of 1,000-2,000 people, he added.
