Hungary offers to host migrant crisis talks between EU and Balkans: minister

(PRAGUE) - Struggling to cope with a massive influx of refugees and migrants from Balkan states, Hungary on Friday offered to host talks with its southern non-EU neighbours like Serbia or Macedonia.

"Budapest will be happy to host a conference that will tackle the cooperation between western countries and western Balkan countries," Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Friday during crisis talks in Prague.

He also revealed that as of next week his country would prosecute anyone damaging border infrastructure, in comments that came amid an outcry over disturbing footage of refugees in Hungary being fed "like animals" at a migrant holding centre.

"As of next week, we will have a rule under which those who illegally enter Hungary by damaging infrastructure protecting the border will commit a crime and face prison or extradition," Szijjarto said at a joint press conference with his Czech, Polish and Slovak counterparts.