As the Head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine noted, relations with the General Directorate of Law Enforcement of Hungary were and remain strategically important.

The meeting of the Chief Border Commissioners of Ukraine and Hungary took place today, on March 23, by video link. The parties analyzed the state of protection of the Ukrainian-Hungarian state border and exchanged information on combating illegal activities.

Serhii Deyneko and Zholt Khalmoshi noted that the situation at the common border remains under control. Organized illegal migration and smuggling of goods both at the "green" section of the state border and at checkpoints remain the main threats. In particular, it was noted that the number of detained illegal migrants has decreased, while the activity of illegal elements in the illegal movement of goods continues to increase - by more than 40% in the number of attempts and 20% in the amount estimated. The main category of goods are tobacco products.

As the Head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine noted, relations with the General Directorate of Law Enforcement of Hungary were and remain strategically important.

“Ukraine's course towards European integration remains unchanged. The Border Guard Service continues to reform as part of the overall reform of Ukraine's security and defense sector. One of the priority aspects of the implementation of state policy in the field of state border protection is the introduction of integrated border management”, he mentioned.

In turn, Zsolt Khalmoshi stressed that if most of their external borders were as secure as the border with Ukraine, they might not worry about security. He thanked the Ukrainian side for the reliable cooperation.

The head of the Hungarian border service also invited Ukrainian border guards to present and get acquainted with all the best innovations they use to protect the state border, including various electronic systems.

The High Border Commissioners noted the high level of cooperation in the sphere of the border representation apparatus, which ensured the implementation of comprehensive measures for the timely exchange of information and proper control of border traffic. Cooperation during the introduction of restrictive measures to control the coronavirus COVID-19 was particularly noteworthy. At the same time, the pandemic led to a decrease in the total intensity of passenger traffic in terms of the number of people – 2.2 times and vehicles – 2.1 times.

In addition, the parties noted the importance of joint patrols at the border. In particular, more than 40 were held in the first quarter of last year, but are currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the heads of the border services stressed the need to renew them after the lifting of restrictive measures.

“Our task remains to work on such important forms of cooperation as joint counteraction to illegal activities at the border, including improving the interaction of operational units to expose organizers and accomplices, documenting illegal activities, as well as improving interaction and exchange of information and experience in combating illegal activities.”, - Serhii Deineko emphasized.

At the end of the meeting, the Chief Border Commissioners of Ukraine and Hungary signed a Plan for the Development of Cooperation between the Agencies. It envisages coordination of joint efforts to ensure the security of the Ukrainian-Hungarian state border with the exchange of experience, improvement of cross-border cooperation on the passage of persons and vehicles, development of cooperation between analytical and operational units, etc.