European foreign and defence ministers in Brussels – Hungary voices support for European defence cooperation

Brussels, March 6 (MTI) – Hungary supports the reinforcement of Europe’s defence cooperation, plans of setting up a common European army, and building European capabilities to launch peace missions in its neighborhood, Péter Szijjártó said on Monday.

Speaking after a meeting of European foreign and defence ministers in Brussels, Hungary’s foreign minister insisted that the recent “massive and uncontrolled influx of migrants” has involved an “unprecedented increase in the threat of terrorism”, which requires making security a top political priority for Europe.

The EU must give a “reasonable” answer to the security situation through “reinforcing the European leg of NATO”, Szijjártó said.

The EU’s defence capabilities should be expanded in coordination with NATO to avoid overlaps, he said.

Szijjártó insisted that security cooperation should continue to be addressed in the framework of intergovernmental cooperation.

He stressed the importance of stability in Europe’s neighbourhood, which is a prerequisite for the EU to set up registration centers outside its territory with a view to mitigating migration pressure on the bloc.

Szijjártó said he agreed with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, who also attended the meeting, that Europe’s stability depended largely on Egypt’s stability.

He said that there were about 5 million people ready to leave for Europe in Egypt. The ministers, therefore, called on Brussels to support an Egyptian campaign to inform them about the dangers of illegal migration.

Szijjártó called EU integration the most effective way of surmounting tension and conflicts in the western Balkans.

The EU’s failure to speed up the integration of western Balkan countries and abandon its policy of “uncontrolled” intervention in Macedonia’s internal affairs and in Serbia’s minority policies could have “unforeseeable consequences” on that region’s stability and the security of Europe as a whole, he said.

Photo: Árpád Szabó

Source: MTI