Europe's interest is a constructive and cultured cooperation between the Eastern and the Western parts of the continent –Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó stated in an interview on Saturday, after he attended - along with several other colleagues from the EU – the remembrance ceremony organised on the occasion of Victory Day in Moscow.
The Minister added that history teaches us that Europe can be a strong and safe place if the Eastern and the Western parts of the continent work together in a pragmatic and cultured way with respect for each other. This naturally also requires the peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible, as well as the compliance with the provisions of the Minsk agreement.
Similarly to other leaders and ministers of EU member states, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade did not attend the military parade of the 70th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The Minister stressed that he came to Moscow - together with his colleagues from the EU - to show his respect for the dead and the victims of World War II.
Responding to the initiative of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Mr. Szijjártó and other diplomatic leaders exchanged their views on Friday in Moscow, Mr. Szijjártó said.
With respect to the fact that Kyrgyzstan had joined to the Eurasian Economic Community on Friday, the question of cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union has also been raised. The Hungarian Minister was of the opinion that the idea of initiating a dialogue and conducting consultations between the two organizations as soon as possible was a completely legitimate and logical assumption.
Mr. Lavrov informed the Hungarian Minister that the Eurasian Economic Community is considering concluding several significant free trade agreements with major Asian economies. According to Mr. Szijjártó, there is a global race between the integrated regional economies, which is why the EU has to be open-minded towards foreign corporation and must not fall behind.
The Hungarian Minister emphasised that the current system of sanctions against Russia – imposed due to the Ukraine policy of the Kreml - can only be changed, if all actors involved in the conflict abide by the Minsk agreement aimed at the peaceful resolution of the crisis in Ukraine.