Hungary rejects the Greek standpoint that Athens should not be criticised by countries that have not provided it with any assistance towards finding a solution to the migration crisis”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday in Prague following a meeting of V4 foreign ministers.
In a statement to the press on Thursday, Greek Immigration Minister Yannis Muozalas declared: “Athens cannot accept the fact that it is receiving criticism from European countries that have not provided it with any assistance towards providing a solution to the migration crisis”.
“We have been recommending for months that there should be a joint European Union force to protect Greece’s southern border, which is analogous with the southern border of the Schengen Area, but the Greeks have not taken this plan seriously and have repeatedly rejected our proposal”, Mr. Szijjártó stressed.
According to the Minister, Greece has caused its current difficult situation itself. “Had they accepted our proposal, which has been on the table for several months, then there would today be a joint European force protecting the southern borders of Greece and the EU would not be as defenceless as it is now. It would therefore be better if Greece took action instead of being so hypocritical”, Mr. Szijjártó declared.
Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and Slovakian Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák met in Prague on Thursday to mark the 25th anniversary of the formation of the Visegrád Group.
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the four Visegrád Group countries adopted a report entitled “Visegrád, 25 years later”, which was compiled by various personalities chosen by the four countries. On the part of Hungary, former Foreign Minister János Mártonyi and former Speaker of Parliament Katalin Szili took part in the development of the document.
“The report makes recommendations with regard to the future of the Visegrád Group and provides an excellent basis for future debate on the issue”, Mr. Zaorálek said.
“The V4 now has significant weight both within the European Union and at a global level”, the Hungarian Foreign Minister declared.
“There is no need to modify the Group’s structure, nor is there a need for expansion, but cooperation can and should be expanded”, the Polish Foreign Minister stated.
In reply to a question from the press, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski strongly criticised Russia for its interventions in Ukraine and argued in favour of extending sanctions against Moscow. Péter Szijjártó, however, stressed the need for pragmatic cooperation between the European Union and Russia.