President: Hungary protecting Schengen

President Katalin Novák, concluding her official visit to Australia, told Sky News Australia that “Hungary is not only protecting its own borders but also that of the European Union”.

In an interview broadcast on Friday, Novák told programme host Rita Panahi that “we have a very strong pressure from our southern borders, we are protecting actually the external borders of the European Union, of the Schengen zone.”

She expressed her strong belief that strong borders represent a strong country, saying that “a country is as strong as it can support its land, its borders”.

“It is a must for each and every country to be able to decide on who to let in and who not to,” said the president.

In connection with migration and demographic challenges, she said Hungary’s focus was on supporting families and child-bearing instead of immigration. “For us family is a core value, our society is based on strong families”. The president noted the objective to reduce the financial burdens of young couples and single-parent families through family and child-bearing support schemes. “We spend more than 6 percent of our GDP on family support which is the highest percentage worldwide,” she said.

As a result of family support measures, the number of marriages had doubled in Hungary over the past ten years and the country’s fertility rate has grown by 25 percent, said the president.

President: Hungary directly affected by the war in Ukraine

Speaking about the war in Ukraine, she said that “having a Hungarian ethnic minority on the territory of Ukraine, we are really directly affected by the war in the Ukraine and that is very worrisome”.

“The war is a tragedy on a daily basis, on both sides they are losing lives.”

The president said that Hungary was doing its “utmost” to reach peace as soon as possible through negotiations and peace talks.

Hungary condemns Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and provides humanitarian aid to people fleeing the war in the neighbouring country, Novák said.

In connection with Israel, Novák said “we are very worried over the situation” there and “we are very supportive for Israel”.

Asked about next year’s US presidential election and US-Hungarian relations, Novák said it was important “that nobody intervenes in Hungary’s internal policies”. “We are a sovereign country, a sovereign nation, we are sovereign people…”

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