Orbán meets Czech PM Babis in Budapest

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has voiced support for a proposal concerning migration presented by Andrej Babis, his Czech counterpart, during talks in Budapest late on Friday.

The Czech proposal is “very reasonable” and the Hungarian government is “happy to support it”, Orbán said in a statement recorded after the meeting.

Parties at the talks agreed on the necessity to strengthen economic relations, with special regard to cooperation in the defence industry, Orbán said.

Orbán welcomed that he had the opportunity to discuss European Union issues with a “non-traditional” politician, and insisted that “we need fresh ideas” and expressed support for the Czech Republic‘s position on handling the migration crisis.

The talks touched upon the EU’s next budget, and Orbán said that

he and Babis had identified a number of areas where the European Commission’s proposal could be improved.

Orbán also announced that he would visit the Czech Republic at the invitation of Babis, in the second half of October.

Answering a question concerning Orbán’s recent talks in Italy, Orbán stressed the importance of Italy from the European perspective, and said that just as his government had proven that illegal migration could be stopped on land, the community was looking to Italy to do the same at sea. He also pointed out that the positions of Italy and that of the Visegrad countries concerning migration were very close and said that “we have to help each other”.

In his answer to another question, Orbán said that

two camps were being formed before next year’s European Parliamentary elections, one “in favour of continuing the pro-migration policy” led by French President Emmanuel Macron, while the other camp, including Hungary, seeks to “stand the floor” and stop illegal migration.

He also added that recent, critical remarks concerning his government’s policies were rooted “in the clear-cut fact that the campaign for the European elections has already started”.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI