Slovakia, Hungary continue building good relations

The Slovak government plans to continue building good relations with Hungary because that is in the interest of Slovakia’s citizens, its economy and the region, Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini said in Parliament on Tuesday after meeting his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán.

Viktor Orbán described his talks with Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini on Tuesday as a “meeting of two successful countries in a successful region”.

Slovak-Hungarian cooperation and the Visegrád Group partnership contribute to the success of a common Europe, Orbán told a joint press conference in Parliament after the meeting. The V4 is no longer an alliance of poor countries but composed of countries whose economies are characterised by “dynamism, financial discipline and great plans”, he added.

Orbán expressed thanks to Pellegrini for Slovakia’s help in border protection and for Bratislava standing in support of Hungary “in the midst of a great international storm”.

Commenting on bilateral relations, he said that after linking the gas pipelines of the two countries, work has now started to connect their electricity grids.

The Visegrád Group has managed to keep its unity, stood up for national values and fought back outside pressure, he said at a joint press conference with Orbán. Slovakia, the next to take up the rotating presidency of the group comprising Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, will base its presidency on that unity, Pellegrini said.

The V4 countries have made many difficult decisions and their economies are booming, so they have every right to make proposals to the EU on policy issues instead of merely observing them passively, Pellegrini said.