Prime Minister Péter Magyar said in a Facebook post on Wednesday evening that he had represented Hungary effectively at a successful NATO summit in Ankara.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar travelled to Ankara with his Foreign and Defence Minister
He attended the two-day summit with Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi and Foreign Minister Anita Orbán. The Prime Minister said “the most important task was to demonstrate NATO unity, as there have been cracks in recent months and years. This summit had a very positive atmosphere, everyone fulfilled their commitments, member states are increasing their defence spending, and we managed to strengthen the unity of the world’s most important and strongest political and defence community.”
Péter Magyar noted that he had held numerous bilateral talks with NATO leaders, including the Finnish president, Albanian prime minister, German chancellor, and several other Western European partners. He also exchanged views with the Canadian prime minister. Magyar added that Hungary had strengthened its alliances with several countries and discussed Hungarian investment opportunities and further development with leaders of several Western Balkan states. He highlighted that he “also met US President Donald Trump, with whom, contrary to the lies of propaganda, I even shook hands and he congratulated me.”
The aim is to use more of Hungary’s GDP
He emphasised that Hungary must significantly increase its defence spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035, with part of the funds also usable for civilian purposes such as road construction and health-care capacity expansion, which would benefit both the Hungarian economy and its people. He also talked about “a cabinet meeting having been held. I will soon coordinate with Deputy Prime Minister Bálint Ruff, and there will be a detailed briefing on the government’s decisions on Thursday.”
Recalling Tuesday evening’s parliamentary session, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said it was clear that the Fidesz parliamentary group had attempted to obstruct the chamber’s work to prevent the closure of the debate on the 17th amendment to the Fundamental Law. However, this failed as the Tisza group remained resolute. “By evening, the Fidesz members grew tired, announced they would boycott the session, and then walked out,” he said. Regarding Fidesz’s planned protest on Thursday, Magyar said: “Hungary is a state governed under the rule of law, and everyone is free to exercise their democratic rights. Those who want to protest are free to protest.”
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