Hungary’s Embassy in Cyprus reopens

Hungary and Cyprus “will never accept that the European Union should be divided up to first and second class member states,” Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in Nicosia on Tuesday, adding that the two countries “firmly oppose scrapping unanimous decision making” in the EU.

At a press conference held jointly with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos, Szijjártó said the economy and security of the community were “worse than after the coronavirus pandemic”, with particular regard to the EU’s decreasing competitiveness, the war in Ukraine and the risk of its escalation, as well as difficulties posed by illegal migration. He hoped the upcoming European parliamentary elections could bring changes “with the bloc turning in the right direction and the peace camp gaining strength”.

The Hungarian government urges peace as soon as possible, Szijjártó said, but admitted that its position “is not in the mainstream and not supported by a majority”. Hungary does not send weapons to Ukraine and “sharply opposes declarations concerning the possibility of sending Western troops”, he said.

He said those “promoting the peace camp’s position are stigmatised” and “there is a tiny room for a sober dialogue” on the matter, adding that “similarly, there was no opportunity for a meaningful debate concerning some kind of compensation for member states seriously impacted by the sanctions against Russia.”

Concerning the proposed scrapping of unanimous decisions in the EU, Szijjártó said,

“We will never accept a situation in which the big countries could make decisions on issues also impacting us, leaving us the only possibility to say ‘yes, sir.'”

The EU’s Hungarian presidency in the second half of the year will be aimed “to stop a further weakening of the community”, he said, adding that “a strong Europe requires strong members.” The EU needs “new momentum and energy, which could only come from the outside; the (Hungarian) government, therefore, will have the promotion of the integration of the Western Balkans high on its agenda,” he said. He added, however, that some countries should not be granted a “fast track” procedure for political reasons; “each candidate must be assessed on their actual merits.” The Western Balkan states “deserve a fair and positive attitude”, he said. Hungary and Cyprus will join forces to promote the issue, he added.