“Visegrád cooperation has never been as important as it is now, when Europe is facing serious problems and challenges”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said following a meeting of Visegrád Group (V4) Foreign Ministers in Prague on Thursday.
“In the current European situation, I think it is no exaggeration to state that Visegrád cooperation has never been so important and that there has never been a greater need for this cooperation than there is now. Europe is facing serious challenges that are even capable of endangering several aspects of European integration”, Mr. Szijjártó told reporters from Hungarian public media following the meeting.
For instance, the debate on the future of the eurozone has been going on for years, while the immigration crisis has even called into question the future of the Schengen Area, he pointed out.
According to the Hungarian Foreign Minister, the Visegrád Group is an important factor in European and even global politics and is handling the current migration crisis well, in addition to which joint action on the part of the Group’s countries also plays a unique role with regard to the future of the European Union.
“The EU will only be able to solve these challenges if it ceases its hypocritical behaviour, and the guarantee for this is V4 solidarity”, the Minister said, according to whom the countries of the Visegrád cooperation have always spoken openly and stated the true nature of problems.
“This is something there is a shortage of in Europe at the moment”, he noted, adding that “unfortunately, the policy of hypocrisy still exists in Europe”.
According to Mr. Szijjártó the Group regards the criticism received by the V4 more as acknowledgement and encouragement.
“If we were not important, if it made no difference what we did, then they wouldn’t bother with us and wouldn’t criticise us”, the Minister said, adding that in his opinion recent criticism indicates that Visegrád cooperation has never been as strong and important as it is now. Cooperation is also very important with regard to the future, because individually the countries of the V4 could not have achieved the results they have succeeded in achieving through joint economic and political action.
In addition, the V4 are also capable of protecting their policies. Previously, when Hungary was under attack they stood by Hungary, and now that Poland in under attack they stand by Poland. Only the V4 can present a successful example with regard to the immigration crisis. Hungary was the only country that was capable of stopping the flow of migration at its borders, to which it received effective assistance from its Visegrád partners, Mr. Szijjártó explained.
“If the EU were to follow the example of the V4, it could successfully overcome the immigration crisis”, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.