“The orientation of foreign policy will remain unchanged in future and we will continue to reacts just as firmly as before to attacks on Hungary”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said at his annual hearing before the joint session of Parliament’s Economic and Foreign Affairs committees.
In his report, the Minister emphasised that Hungary had primarily received criticism with regard to the immigration crisis, but his standpoint on the issue was unchanged: immigration is not a solution to the challenges faced by the European Union.
“While many were previously afraid that Hungary would become too isolated, negotiations were conducted with 90 foreign ministers this year and the country was awarded a position on the United Nations Human Rights Council”, he said
Mr. Szijjártó stressed that there had also been much debate on whether it was worth restructuring Hungarian foreign policy to centre on economic success, but it would seem that after last year there is a good chance of exports, the foreign trade balance and trade flow once again braking records this year.
“We are living in exceptional times and there are changes going on within the global economy and in global politics that are leading to the overthrowing of more taboos and dogmas, as proven by the Brexit decision, the U.S. elections, the ‘controversies’ surrounding the Austrian elections and by the major challenges that the EU must still face”, he explained.
On the subject of the foreign economy, the Foreign Minister said that records had been broken with regard to every index in 2015 and these records were set to be broken again according to figures for the first 9 months of this year. “79 percent of exports go to the EU and 13 percent to the countries involved in the Eastern Opening policy”, he said.
Mr. Szijjártó said that in his opinion records are not broken by accident but are the result of immense effort, with huge competition for both foreign investment and export opportunities. Among the measures introduced to ease this competition, he mentioned the credit lines opened by Eximbank, which have assisted 1094 enterprises to date. The Minister also said that while last year 66 major foreign investment had arrived in Hungary via the National Investment Promotion Agency, 68 contracts had already been concluded so far this year, and that while last year foreign investment led to the creation of 13 thousand new jobs the projects agreed upon so far this year have already created some 17 thousand new workplaces.
He also noted that the Government has concluded strategic partnership agreements with 72 companies, which employ a total of 165 thousand people.
Mr. Szijjártó also spoke about the need to renew the investment promotion system, indicating that a special funding programme would be launched to finance companies in involved in research & development.
“We have also succeeded in probing that we do not have to choose between increasing wages and improving the country’s competitiveness and that it is not impossible to create an opportunity to increase salaries by continuously reducing corporate tax burdens”, he highlighted.
Moving on to foreign policy, the Minister explained with regard to immigration that unchecked and uncontrolled migration is having a particularly negative effect on Europe and the world. “Hungary is protecting its borders and is providing assistance to all countries that act similarly”, he declared, adding that Hungary is also performing respectably with regard to providing humanitarian aid and handling the causes of the crisis, for instance it has sent military personnel to help fight the Islamic State.
On the subject of the future, Mr. Szijjártó said: Brexit is not the cause but the result of current EU politics, and the concept according to which the weaker the member states the stronger the EU has failed. The Foreign Minister also criticised the way the EU is treating Ukraine and called for the continued expansion of the European Union.
With regard to the results of the U.S. presidential elections, Mr. Szijjártó said: “Donald Trump’s victory is decidedly good news for both Hungary and the world; it is a good thing that exporting democracy will not be at the forefront of U.S: foreign policy in future”. “The improvement of bilateral political relations can now begin”, he added.
The Foreign Minister also spoke about the visa application of Saudi businessman Ghaith Pharaon, explaining that the visa had been issued according to regulations and neither the Hungarian nor the European systems had indicated any restrictions. Germany asked for a consultation, and then indicated that the visa could be issued”, he said.