Hungarian foreign minister holds talks with Belarusian, Nigerian counterparts

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó held talks with his Belarusian and Nigerian counterparts on Tuesday.

In a Facebook entry, Szijjártó said he was briefed by Vladimir Makei, the Belarusian foreign minister, on the situation in his country.

“I told him that we have an interest in maintaining communication,” Szijjártó said, noting that Belarus is part of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership programme.

Szijjártó underscored the importance of a broad social dialogue in Belarus, saying it was the only way to resolve the ongoing crisis in line with the rule of law.

• EU must have ‘clear strategy’ concerning Belarus, says Hungarian FM Szijjártó

As regards his talks with Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, Szijjártó said their discussion centred on the election of the World Trade Organisation’s new director-general.

Szijjártó said he had told Onyeama that Hungary had agreed to support the EU’s decision to back the South Korean and Nigerian candidates in the second round of the election.

“I did not tell him, however, that I had serious concerns about the procedure with which the European Commission achieved this ‘consensus’,”

Szijjártó said. “Because consensus is usually achieved through talks rather than threats and blackmail.”

Szijjártó said the EC had threatened to launch infringement procedures against member states that “had a different opinion” even though “they could not make any compelling arguments” against either the Kenyan or the British candidates.

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Source: MTI