German conservative daily Die Welt published an interview with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó on Wednesday entitled ‘We must stop inspiring immigration’.
On the subject of Hungarian-German relations, the Minister called Germany Hungary’s most important economic and political ally, explaining that the 6000 German enterprises operating in Hungary provide jobs for some 300 thousand people, 27 percent of foreign trade occurs with Germany and Hungary is “the most important hinterland” of the German automobile industry.
“There is continuous consultation between the two countries on issues relating to the European Union, and although the German standpoint often represents ‘a kind of compass’ for foreign policy issues, Hungary undoubtedly has a different viewpoint with regard to illegal migration”, he added.
Among the issues on which there is full agreement Mr. Szijjártó highlighted the fact that “regaining the European Union’s lost competitiveness is of vital importance”, and is only possible if everyone returns to respecting fiscal discipline. This means that “countries should not speculate on the money of others when making economic decisions” and must do everything to successfully face the challenges posed by the “digital and revolutionarily new economic era”. “Hungary and Germany are in fully agreement when it comes to these crucial issues”, Mr. Szijjártó emphasised.
In reply to a question concerning the fact that both countries support the setting up of a joint European army, the Minister highlighted: “We have been convinced for some time that the European part of the transatlantic community must be reinforced and that it is not right to depend solely on the United States to maintain the security of Europe”.
In reply to a question on whether such a joint army would be pitted against Russia, he stressed that normalising relations between Europe and Russia is vital. As he explained, it is in Hungary’s economic and security policy interests for the EU and Russia to respect each other and international law according to common sense and to be capable of cooperation in this spirit.
“Regaining Europe’s competitiveness is impossible without cooperation between the western and eastern part of the continent, and Hungary’s historical experience indicates that Central Europe is always the loser when there is a conflict between East and West”, the Foreign Minister explained.
In reply to a question on whether Germany had approached Hungary’s standpoint or Hungary that of Germany with regard to the migration crisis, the Minister stressed that Hungary’s standpoint has remained unchanged for the last two years: “In our view illegal migration is bad and a danger to Europe” and so the EU’s borders must be protected and it must be made clear that it is only possible to travel to Europe legally.
We must stop “inspiring” immigration and “finally do away with the mandatory relocation quota, which is in serious violation of European regulations”, he added.
“The development of a ‘strong Europe’ is in Hungary’s interests, but this is only possible if Member States are also strong, and accordingly Hungary in no way supports the continued transfer of spheres of competence from Member States”, Mr. Szijjártó responded in reply to a question on whether Hungary and Germany are partners or opponents regarding the fundamental issue of whether more or less integration is required.
“Cooperation between the countries of the Visegrád Group is not aimed against anyone”, the Minister declared in reply to a question concerning whether the increasingly strong cooperation between the countries of the V4 acts as a counterweight against German influence in Europe.
“We are proud of the fact that we are the strongest and most effective alliance within the EU today”, Mr. Szijjártó said. “The Group comprising the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia fully agrees on nine out of ten of the most important issues, and although there are differences in their approach towards Russia this in no way endangers cooperation in other fields”, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade explained.
“The V4 will remain the V4; there will be no V5 or V6”, he said with relation to Austria’s possible intent to join or enter into cooperation with the Group. However, the countries of the Visegrád Group are naturally happy to cooperate with other states of the region within the framework of the “V4+ format”, he added.
In reply to a question concerning the fact that prior to the U.S. presidential elections Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was the only EU head of government to stand up in support of Republican Party candidate Donald Trump, Mr. Szijjártó said “we were simply stating our opinion” and “we believe that the direction of Donald Trump’s foreign and migration policies are much more favourable for Europe that those of the Democrats”.
In reply to a question concerning why the Presidency of Donald Trump will be good for Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe in general, the Hungarian Foreign Minister said: “The Trump administration will be better for the whole world”. “Until now, American foreign policy centred on exporting democracy, which caused much damage, for instance in Europe’s southern and south-eastern vicinity”, he added, stressing “We also believe in rationality when it comes to foreign policy, and accordingly we now have good reason to be optimistic”.
In reply to a question on when Viktor Orbán will travel to Washington for an official visit and why no such visit was realised during president Barack Obama’s term in office, the Minister said that during their telephone conversation Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump had agreed to meet in Washington and that the date would be determined after Mr. Trump is sworn in as President.
Mr. Szijjártó added that in view of the fact that the Hungarian Government has not given in to American attempts to intervene in internal affairs in recent years and did not make the decisions that Washington expected of it, he had not counted on any high level meetings anyway, certainly not until now.