Justice minister praises close Hungarian-German friendship

Hungarians and Germans continue to maintain a close friendship and cooperation covering many areas, such as defence policy and digitalisation, Justice Minister Judit Varga said on Wednesday after talks in Berlin.

The 30th anniversary of Hungary opening its borders which also paved the way for German reunification and the unification of Europe “offers a good opportunity to remark that our nations have been linked by close friendship spanning hundreds of years,” Varga told public media after meeting senior German politicians and attending a meeting of the Hungarian-German Forum.

She said the forum was important because it involved “political opponents sitting down for talks and discussing their differences”.

Commenting on migration policy, she said “it is now being understood in German mainstream politics that emphasis should be placed on resolving problems on the spot” and “joint development projects can be successful in preventing migration”.

Varga emphasised the need of tolerance in migration policy, she added. Hungary has never criticised other countries for pursuing different policies stemming from their historical traditions and social organisation, she said.

Addressing a podium discussion on ways to strengthen Europe, she emphasised the need of a new, common approach based on mutual trust and familiarity with each other’s culture.

Varga said that the negative image that has developed in the German press about Hungary’s refugee policy had originated from “systemic problems” in the German media.

Source: MTI