Szijjártó shared Hungarian EU presidency top priorities
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The Hungarian EU presidency will focus on the long-stalled integration of the Western Balkans and stepping up action against illegal migration, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said at a local forum in northern Hungary on Thursday.
Speaking to locals in Gyöngyös, Szijjártó said Europe’s malaise in terms of security and competitiveness may be best addressed by integrating the Western Balkans. Yet Ukraine, he added, was being “pushed” into the bloc at a faster clip.
On the topic of illegal migration, he noted that Hungary has been protecting its borders for nine years, “while Brussels encourages migration”. Szijjártó insisted that the EU had adopted a migration pact which “encourages, organises and manages” migration. The bloc’s border force Frontex, he added, was “a travel agency”.
He said Hungary must be “tough” and advance the cause of EU enlargement “and prevent illegal migration as far as possible”.
Meanwhile, the minister said it was hopeful that Donald Trump would win the US presidential election in November, and this would open the path to establishing peace. Referring to the June European Parliament election, he added that a marked right-wing turn in Europe would also help in this respect.
Minister: Enlargement policy impaired by slow W Balkans integration process
The credibility of European Union enlargement policy has been eroded by foot-dragging over the integration process of the Western Balkans, Péter Szijjártó, the foreign minister, said on Friday, adding that it was in the interest of the EU to integrate countries of the region quickly.
At a joint press conference with the Montenegrin European affairs minister, Maida Gorcevic, Szijjártó said that the European Parliament election opened up an avenue for a “right-wing, pro-peace, sovereigntist” change in political direction characterised by “common sense” in European political debates, while the EU could address long-term challenges and halt its decline by integrating “ambitious and fast-developing” countries of the Western Balkans.
EU needs Western Balkans
Today, he added, the EU needed the Western Balkans more than vice versa.
Referring to Montenegro, which submitted its application for membership in 2008, he said the situation was similar in respect of other countries in the region.
He noted that NATO has already admitted three Western Balkan countries. “If the Western Balkan countries can meet the expectation of trust required to enter NATO, then their readiness and loyalty when it comes to European Union membership must not be questioned,” the minister said.
Szijjarto says if the Western Balkans earned the trust to join NATO they deserve the trust to join the EU. Con-man Szijjarto is putting out his usual lies. Serbia which is the country which is the biggest one in question most definitely is not a NATO member and has no intentions of ever joining NATO period. Serbia like Hungary is a Russian ally. Hungary has become a Russian directed anomaly within NATO and the EU and it is working to bring in Serbia to further enhance Putin’s reach to cause harm to Europe. Montenegro might be considered worthy to join the EU but Serbia is a cousin of Russia and they are not joining until that changes.