V4 countries back nuclear energy for climate protection
The Visegrád Group countries have signed a joint declaration that achieving climate goals cannot happen without nuclear energy, according to government website kormany.hu on Thursday.
The combined use of nuclear and renewable energy is vital for energy sovereignty and security, keeping energy prices affordable and decarbonising energy production, Janos Suli, the minister without portfolio responsible for the Paks nuclear plant upgrade project, said, speaking alongside representatives of the Czech, Polish and Slovak governments in Paks, in southern Hungary.
The V4 calls for greater energy efficiency and, as well as
increasing the share of renewable energy sources,
meeting the 2030 and 2050 carbon targets would require the development of electricity transmission networks and the use of gas-fired power plants in the medium term, as well as the flexible use of carbon quotas, it added.
The V4 welcomed the European Commission’s statement that nuclear energy is a safe technology and in full compliance with EU environmental standards. Brussels, the declaration added, should treat nuclear energy as a sustainable energy source, also from the point of view of financing, it added.
European nation states must be capable of tackling challenges, says Hungarian defence minister
European nation states must be strong enough and capable of tackling their own internal and external challenges and threats, Hungary’s defence minister said after a conference of EU defence ministers in Brussels on Tuesday.
The EU’s draft security and defence strategy dubbed Strategic Compass, which defines tasks for member states to respond to future challenges and threats, meets Hungary’s requirements, Tibor Benkő told Hungarian journalists after the meeting.
The strategy is in line with Hungary’s approach that the country must have a strong and effective military, one that has the capabilities to guarantee the peace and security of the country and its people, he said.
Benkő said the defence ministers held talks with Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary general, who said that in addition to strong European nation states, transatlantic ties must also be strengthened.
“This however must be done by strengthening and not by weakening one another,” he said.
Concerning the migration situation at the Polish-Belarusian border, Benkő pointed out Hungary’s six years of experience with the issue of illegal migration. He said that Visegrad Group members Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia had offered help and support to Poland, the fourth member of the group.
“Hungary, if asked by Warsaw, is ready to provide technical equipment, material resources and troops to help Poland,”
the defence minister said.
Read alsoHungary projects to launch 10 military high schools by 2030 – PHOTOS
EU backs sanctions for use of migration as mode of manipulation, says Hungarian minister
Following its latest review of the situation on the Belarus-Poland border, the European Union has backed the use of sanctions against Belarus for using migration as a mode of manipulation, Hungary’s foreign minister said in Brussels on Monday.
Under the resolution approved at Monday’s meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, the EU can impose sanctions on people and organisations who use migration as a mode of manipulation, Péter Szijjártó said on the sidelines of the meeting. The list of specific individuals and entities to be sanctioned will be decided later, he added.
The EU faces “unprecedented levels of migration pressure”,
Szijjártó said, arguing that the bloc was “under siege from the south, the south-east and the east”.
He said the Visegrad Group had also held a special meeting on Monday where the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia all offered their help to Poland.
When Hungary found itself in a similar situation in 2015, the other V4 countries all came to its aid, the minister said.
Concerning the migration pressure from the south, Szijjártó emphasised the importance of improving living conditions instead of supporting emigration in troubled African countries.
Hungary does its fair share when it comes to such efforts, he said, noting that by end of 2023 the country will have contributed a maximum of 80 soldiers to Europe’s Takuba Task Force fighting Islamic State-linked militants in Mali.
Szijjártó also urged speeding up the EU integration of the Western Balkans, saying Hungary expected the bloc to begin accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia and to open at least two accession chapters with Serbia before the end of the year.
“Anyone who blocks this must bear the responsibility for the historic levels of damage that will cause in this region,” he said.
Meanwhile, the minister said Hungary would support an Eastern Partnership country deepening its ties with the EU only if its leadership respected the rights of national minorities like those of Ukraine’s ethnic Hungarian community.
On another subject, he said Azerbaijan could become a key player when it comes to Europe’s gas supply, but this required investments in infrastructure and increased extraction rates.
“If we can’t make that work, then no one will have the right … to criticise us for having to sign a long-term gas supply deal with Russia,” he said.
Read alsoEU to fine Hungary for asylum rules non-compliance?
Hungarian Speaker of Parliament welcomed Estonian counterpart for diplomatic talk
Speaker of Parliament László Kövér has held talks with Estonian Speaker Jüri Ratas, who is paying an official visit to Hungary, Parliament’s press office said in a statement on Friday.
Kövér said Estonia-Hungary economic, cultural and defence-security ties had functioned well over the past three decades, and both countries were bound by language ties and “our struggles of thirty years ago, when Estonia and Hungary fought for their freedom and independence”.
He also referred to “problematic issues” which presented challenges to both countries and to Europe, such as illegal migration, the energy crisis, the coronavirus epidemic and climate change.
Ratas noted “smooth” relations thanks to constant contact and dialogue, and he also praised the role of the two countries’ respective legislatures in maintaining good relations.
Hungarian Innovation and Technology Min: A.I. offers deeper cooperation with Germany
Hungarian and Latvian Foreign Ministers discussed the need for a border fence
He thanked Hungary for its contribution to the protection of the Baltic airspace and its support for the Three Seas Initiative.
The speaker added that there was room to strengthen cooperation between the Visegrád Group and the three Baltic States in tourism, the economy, and person-to-person contacts.
Regarding the future of Europe, Kövér said related consultations would be successful only with strong parliamentary participation, as this was the only way to guarantee their democratic legitimacy.
Read alsoPM Viktor Orbán: Balkans’ peace and stability is key for Hungary
Budapest to organize Visegrád Four-Turkic Council summit in 2022!
Hungary is initiating a high level summit of the leaders of the Turkic Council and the Visegrad Group (V4) in Budapest in the first half of 2022, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at the summit of the Turkic Council in Istanbul on Friday.
Addressing the summit, Orbán noted that Hungary is holding the presidency of the Visegrad Group it forms with the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia until July 1 next year. The prime minister also touched on the shared historical and cultural heritage of the Hungarian and Turkic peoples, saying Hungarians were proud of that heritage.
As regards Hungary’s previous commitments to the Turkic Council, Orbán said Hungary had elevated its ties with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to a strategic partnership and had opened an embassy in Bishkek. Concerning education ties, he said Hungary has
As regards Hungary’s previous commitments to the Turkic Council, Orbán said Hungary had elevated its ties with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to a strategic partnership and had opened an embassy in Bishkek. Concerning education ties, he said Hungary has
increased the number of scholarships it offers to university students from the Turkic countries to 870.
“The scheme is a success, with more than 5,000 applications submitted for this academic year,” he said.
Turning to economic relations, Orbán said Hungary’s Eximbank has opened a 545 million dollar credit line to help finance business cooperation and Hungary and Kyrgyzstan last week launched a 16 million dollar joint development fund. Orbán said the Hungarian government supported the establishment of a Turkic investment fund and asked the council to enable Hungary to join it once it is set up. Hungary is prepared to contribute to the fund’s capital, he added.
As regards the situation in Afghanistan, Orbán said
As regards the situation in Afghanistan, Orbán said
Europe was facing an “unprecedented challenge”
when it came to migration and for the first time was under pressure from three directions. Stopping the emergence of new migration waves from Afghanistan, he added, was a fundamental security interest for Hungary. The prime minister assured the Turkic Council that he would not approve any European Union decision that ignores the security interests of the Turkic countries.
On the sidelines of the summit, Orbán held bilateral talks with Sadyr Japarov, the president of Kyrgyzstan, and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the president of Kazakhstan.
Leading a high-level delegation,
Orbán is on a two-day visit to Turkey.
On Thursday, he took part in the 5th meeting of the Hungarian-Turkish high-level strategic cooperation council in Ankara.
The Turkic Council is an intergovernmental organisation established in 2009 to promote comprehensive cooperation among Turkic speaking states. Its members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey. Hungary has had observer status in the organisation since 2018.
The Turkic Council is an intergovernmental organisation established in 2009 to promote comprehensive cooperation among Turkic speaking states. Its members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey. Hungary has had observer status in the organisation since 2018.
Read also Hungary to offer much more scholarships for Turkish students
Hungary-Poland business forum was held in Budapest
Central Europe could become one of the biggest winners of the new global economy thanks to stability, sensible economic policies and security policies focusing on national interests, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Monday.
Szijjártó told a Hungary-Poland business forum that relations between the two countries could be best described as being fraternal, a statement by the ministry said.
“We must not tolerate being scorned and handled in Europe as pure beneficiaries of cooperation any longer,” he said. Hungarian and Polish people equally contribute with their work to the generation of community resources, he added.
Central Europe has greatly benefitted from pursuing “policies based on common sense” and the region has consequently become one of the most attractive targets for investment in recent years, Szijjártó said. He noted low taxes on labour, which he said the Hungarian government planned to further reduce, and efforts to guarantee people’s safety.
If the Visegrad Group’s four members were to form a state, it would be the second largest country and the third largest market in the European Union, Szijjártó said. He noted that
Germany’s trade with the V4 was twice as much as with France last year.
At the same time, the region still needs to overcome certain disadvantages in competitiveness. A high-speed rail network must be built and road transport further improved with the help of joint efforts, he added. The integration of the Western Balkans would greatly strengthen competitiveness even further, Szijjártó said.
In terms of Hungary-Poland economic ties, Szijjártó said Poland was Hungary’s fourth most important trading partner last year, with the value of trade exceeding 10 billion euros.
This accounted for some 5 percent of Hungary’s total foreign trade. In the first eight months of this year, bilateral trade increased by 22 percent to 8 billion euros and its value is expected to be record high for the whole of 2021, he said.
There are no open issues between the governments in Budapest and Warsaw, and there is consent in the most important European issues, Szijjártó said, noting the protection of national sovereignty and the concept of a strong EU based on strong nation states.
He also discussed the topic of energy crisis, stating that central European states shared the same view in terms of recognising nuclear energy as a sustainable energy source. Vertical transport routes for gas supplies will soon be completed for the region allowing Hungary access to LNG terminals in Poland, Szijjártó added.
South Korean president advocates closer ties with Visegrád Group
Cooperation between the Visegrád Group and the Republic of Korea is gaining in intensity, and the political leaders of the five countries are committed to developing even closer ties, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in Budapest on Thursday.
With their open approach, the leaders of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have demonstrated the strength of V4 cooperation, the president told a press conference after their summit meeting in the Hungarian capital.
Moon Jae-in highlighted plenty of similarities between the Visegrád region and South Korea, including rapid transition to democracy and dynamic economic development after the Cold War.
He praised smooth V4-Korea relations, adding that the region is an
Moon Jae-in highlighted plenty of similarities between the Visegrád region and South Korea, including rapid transition to democracy and dynamic economic development after the Cold War.
He praised smooth V4-Korea relations, adding that the region is an
important trading partner for South Korea and a major destination for Korean investors.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stressed the need of close cooperation, especially in the field of innovative technologies. He said the summiteers had also discussed the climate crisis and soaring energy prices.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis called South Korea a major trading partner for the Visegrad group. He said that developing ties with South Korea may help Europe to become more competitive in the global economy.
Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger said that partnership, cooperation and friendship between nations are especially important now that the world is facing major health, economic and energy challenges. South Korea and the V4 countries share plenty of values, including democracy, a free market and the rule of law, he said.
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Read alsoBreaking – Korea to set up a large university campus in Budapest
PM Orbán admires the success story of South Korea
Addressing the opening of a V4-Korea Business Forum in Budapest, PM Viktor Orbán said that the existing good and friendly relations between Hungary and the Republic of Korea would be raised to a strategic level and economic relations would be expanded to include science, research and education.
Orbán said Hungarians find it difficult to understand how it is possible that South Korea, which was among the poorest countries in the world some fifty years ago, can currently produce the 12th largest GDP globally.
He said his government had
Orbán said Hungarians find it difficult to understand how it is possible that South Korea, which was among the poorest countries in the world some fifty years ago, can currently produce the 12th largest GDP globally.
He said his government had
looked to South Korea as a “success story” to learn from
when it returned to power in 2010.
Orbán said the country offered an example of how tradition must be combined with technology, family must be “placed above all”, the economy is work-based and there is life-long learning, national identity is strong, regional logistics advantages are put to use, and planning is for the long term.
Orbán noted that bilateral trade between Hungary and South Korea has grown by a factor of ten in the past decade. South Korean companies are the fourth-biggest group of investors in the country and have projects worth 4 billion dollars underway, he said. Talks are ongoing on the launch of a further 16 big South Korean investments, he added.
“The broader and deeper cooperation is between South Korea and the European Union, between South Korea and the Visegrád Group, and between South Korea and Hungary, the sooner the whole of the European continent can
regain its competitiveness in the global economy,”
he said.
Read alsoShip collision – S Korea President Moon pays tribute to victims in Budapest
Palkovics: V4 to boost cooperation on higher education
The Visegrád Group (V4) countries last week signed a letter of intent on the mutual and automatic recognition of each other’s higher education degrees.
Addressing a V4 summit organised by the Széchenyi István University in Győr, in north-western Hungary, Innovation and Technology Minister László Palkovics said that though cooperation between Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia on higher education was effective, there was still room for improvement. Hungary has therefore made it a goal to improve relations between the four countries’ universities during its V4 presidency, he added.
Palkovics noted that
the Hungarian government in 2014 embarked on a programme to bring universities and colleges closer to market players.
Another aim, he said, had been for Hungarian higher education institutions to strengthen cooperation with their international partners. Since then, participation by Hungarian students in Erasmus programmes has increased by 65-70 percent and international students now make up at least 15 percent of all students at Hungarian universities and colleges, the minister said.
As a first step in its higher education reform, the government in 2014 transformed the university research system, with the second phase encompassing a restructuring of the country’s universities, Palkovics noted.
So far 21 Hungarian universities have shifted from being state-run to being operated by an asset management foundation, as modelled after private universities in Finland, Austria and other countries, he said, adding that six universities were still operated by the state.
Slovak education ministry official Marek Moska said the mutual recognition of V4 degrees would contribute to the establishment of a European Education Area by 2025.
Tibor Bial, the Czech Republic’s ambassador to Hungary, said the Czech education ministry was working on a plan to automate the recognition of European Union degrees.
Read alsoSemmelweis University Budapest is in the top 40 universities of the world!
Hungary’s House Speaker: Common values unite Europe’s citizens
When discussing Europe’s future it is worth bearing in mind that, thanks to their common values, the bloc’s citizens are more united than divided, László Kövér, Hungary’s Speaker of Parliament, told a conference of speakers of the Council of Europe in Athens on Friday.
Speaking on day two of a meeting organised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Kövér said in his speech that national identities and the mother tongue formed the basis of “our European identity” and that Europe’s strength derived from national parliamentarism and the successful cooperation of nations, as well as solidarity with national minorities.
He warned that European citizens felt their opinions no longer mattered and that confidence in European Union institutions as well as national democratic institutions was “dangerously waning”, adding that European democracies could be revitalised only if citizens had a say on real issues, starting from the expression of opinion at the national level.
We do not want to live in a European empire, says Hungarian justice minister
“We in Hungary have been courageous enough to ask people about migration issues … and key issues regarding epidemic management through a new form of direct democracy,” Kövér said, adding that the opinions expressed in the National Consultation survey had been incorporated into parliamentary debate and government policy.
Kövér noted regional cooperation between the Visegrád countries (V4), which he said shared a history, traditions, culture and values.
Hungarians, he added, were lucky to live with 13 national minorities in Hungary, adding that the Fundamental Law describes minorities as elements that forge the state. They are represented at both municipal and parliamentary levels, he added.
Government: Brussels wants to build an empire!
Referring to “indigenous national minorities in Europe”, he said Hungary believed in the right to prosper in one’s homeland while preserving national identity.
Kövér also said Hungary remained committed to sustainable development, noting that Hungary’s parliament operates the National Council for Sustainable Development, which he said was “almost unique” among the world’s parliaments”.
Every two years, the council examines the country in terms of its environmental, economic and social sustainability, and he pledged Hungary’s readiness to share its related experiences.
Meanwhile, the speaker also noted a statement by the Visegrád Group and Western Balkan countries lined up to join the European Union urging the inclusion of candidate countries in the EU conference on the future of Europe.
The heads of Council of Europe national parliaments were in agreement, he added, that Europe was a broader concept than the EU, so non-EU European countries should be given the opportunity to contribute to shaping a common European future.
Read alsoSzijjártó: Poland attacked for successful patriotic policies
Szijjártó: Poland attacked for successful patriotic policies
Like the Hungarian government, Poland’s government is being “attacked” on the international stage because its successful patriotic policies go against the liberal mainstream, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Vienna on Friday.
Addressing a press conference ahead of a meeting with his Austrian, Czech, Slovak and Slovenian counterparts, Szijjártó said the central European countries had been among the first to relaunch their economies following the coronavirus crisis.
The minister said security would be crucial for preserving growth in the region. He warned, however, that Europe was facing significant security challenges such as growing migration waves.
Part of that has to do with the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan and the fact that migrants are no longer coming to Europe just from the south and southeast, but also from the east, Szijjártó said.
Fidesz: ‘Brussels waging political cold war against Poland’
As long as mandatory migrant settlement quotas are on the European Union’s agenda, “even covertly”, and as long as border protection is treated as a humanitarian and human rights issue rather than a matter of security, and certain politicians continue to make “irresponsible remarks”, the migration pressure on Europe will not ease, Szijjártó said.
The central European countries will continue to protect Europe, themselves and their borders and will help each other in this regard, he said, adding that some 100,000 illegal migrants have made their way to Europe from the south so far this year.
Szijjártó said Hungary was grateful to the other three Visegrád Group countries for aiding its border protection efforts, as well as to Austria for their continuous consultations.
Asked about the recent decision by Poland’s constitutional court against the primacy of EU law, Szijjártó said Poland was being attacked for its successful patriotic policies.
The EU treaties are clear on the powers of the EU and member states, and if a given area falls under national competence, it is an area in which national law has primacy, he said.
Read alsoMinister: Hungary stands with Poland against the EU
Job protection at centre of V4 pandemic response
The coronavirus pandemic response measures implemented by the Visegrad Group (V4) countries are centred on preserving and creating jobs, an official of the innovation and technology ministry said after a meeting of V4 labour affairs officials in Budapest on Monday.
Sándor Bodó, the state secretary for employment policy, told a press conference that jobholders with lower degrees and young workers were the ones hit hardest by the economic effects of the pandemic in all four Visegrad countries. The Hungarian, Czech, Polish and Slovak officials also found that remote work was still common in all four countries, he said.
The officials also discussed the need to give workers under 25 the option of participating in internal training programmes at their jobs in order to guarantee that they can remain there for the longer term, Bodó said.
The Hungarian government has allocated 70 billion forints (EUR 194m) towards supporting training programmes for jobholders,
he said, adding that the personal income tax exemption for Hungarians under 25 to be introduced next year would help boost youth employment.
The four officials adopted a statement declaring the V4’s commitment to helping disadvantaged workers in the labour market and to the protection of their national values, Bodó said.
The statement also says that the introduction of a European minimum wage would put the V4 countries at a competitive disadvantage, he added.
Read alsoGovernment ready to cut business taxes
Fidesz MEP: Brussels responsible for ‘public utility crisis’ in Europe
Europe currently suffers from a “public utility crisis” for which Brussels clearly bears responsibility, the communications director of ruling Fidesz said on Saturday.
István Hollik said in a video that under the guise of climate protection, Brussels had been making efforts to decrease traditional energy production, while liberalising gas and electricity markets without a transition period.
“This has made European people and companies completely defenceless against energy suppliers,” he said. “And now they are saying that nothing can be done against high prices,” he added.
The Hungarian left-wing shares the same view, a situation well-known from the time before 2010 when public utility fees tripled under the policies of then prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, he said.
Minister: Hungary signed a good deal with Russia, so the gas stores are almost full
Electricity hikes are currently disguised as climate protection in Brussels, which will mean that the European Union’s emissions trading system is planned to be expanded to public road transport, including cars, and buildings, including family homes, he added.
“They talk about climate protection when they are introducing a new tax which will cost a monthly 32,000 forints (EUR 90) to Hungarian people,” he said.
The Hungarian left wing supports Brussels’ plans but “we will veto the plan for a new EU climate tax together with the V4 countries,” he said. “The costs of climate protection should be borne by multinational corporations doing the damage instead of European and Hungarian people,” he added.
Read also Hungary defends utility price cuts against Brussels’ plans
Egypt needs support from EU countries, says El-Sisi in Budapest
Egypt is in need of support from European Union countries, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt told a press conference after meeting Visegrad Group leaders in Budapest on Tuesday.
El-Sisi thanked Visegrad Group leaders for their support. While their backing is important, the leaders of western European countries should also understand that “Egypt’s leadership respects its people and strives for development”, he said.
Egypt needs support to improve its political, economic and cultural situation rather than “being called out on human rights”, he said.
The question is whether “Europe is ready to offer brotherhood to Egypt,” by offering cooperation with its universities, and by “taking its industry there to provide jobs for Egyptians.”
Unless those needs are answered, “we cannot talk about legal standards,” he said.
The Egyptian government has “spent trillions of Egyptian pounds” in the past years on improving infrastructure and water management in rural Egypt, home to some 60 million people, he said.
On the issue of migration, el-Sisi noted that
Egypt has not allowed “a single ship transporting migrants to leave Egyptian ports” since 2016.
At the same time, the country has received some 6 million migrants from African countries and treated them as “guests … they are taught at our schools and treated in our hospitals,” he said.
Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger said the meeting was “further proof that Egypt was one of the most important parrtners in the Middle East”, with great impact on the region’s political and security challenges, such as the fight against terrorism and curbing migration.
Egypt’s “exemplary” way of handling migration should remain sustainable, Heger said. Egypt’s security and stability has direct consequences for the stability of central and eastern Europe, he said.
Slovakia “welcomes and supports full political dialogue and cooperation between the European Union and Egypt, he said.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the meeting was “an important step towards the stabilisation of the European Union”. “Calm” in the Middle East, and opportunities for social and economic development, are key to preventing terrorism and migration, he said.
The Visegrad Group will “try to convince the EU’s western states” of the importance of economic cooperation with Egypt, Morawiecki said. He praised Egypt for “stopping migration towards Europe” five years ago. The Visegrad Group would like to help in that task, he said.
Migration should be “solved where the problem is” by fostering economic development there, he said.
Poland has already sent coronavirus vaccines to Egypt and is slated to send a “few hundred thousand doses” more, he said.
Morawiecki also praised Orban as a “consummate chess player” able to “think a few steps ahead and foresee danger”. Brussels should follow the Visegrad Group’s lead, which puts weight on security, on preventing terrorism, and on economic cooperation with other countries “under the leadership of Hungary and Viktor Orban.”
Read alsoEgypt’s foreign minister meets with V4 countries counterparts
Orbán on V4-Egypt summit: Strengthening Egypt is in the EU’s “vital interest”
Strengthening Egypt is in the European Union’s “vital interest”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said after a meeting of representatives of the Visegrad Group and Egypt in Budapest on Tuesday.
Orbán told a press conference held jointly with Slovak counterpart Eduard Heger, Poland’s Mateusz Morawiecki, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi that migration was much worse now than in 2015, and the EU could not cope without external allies such as Egypt, “one of the most obvious allies”.
At the meeting, Morawiecki reported on the migration pressure at Poland’s eastern border, Orbán said, adding that the pressure on Hungary’s southern border was also increasing.
“We are beseiged,”
the prime minister said, adding that if Egypt cannot pursue its current policies to rein in migration towards Europe, “we will all be in great trouble”. Egypt not only needs its border controls reinforced, the country’s economy should also be stabilised so that “local youth are offered opportunities of a good life,” Orbán said, adding that it was also in Europe’s interest.
Orbán called on the EU to convene the EU/Egypt Association Council as soon as possible, accept Egypt as a strategic partner and approve its proposals against terrorism.
He proposed that the EU adopt Egypt’s list of terrorists and terrorist organisations, and suggested that European restrictions preventing Egypt from purchasing equipment for border protection should be lifted.
Orbán said that
no ship carrying illegal migrants had left the coasts of Egypt since 2016. “If there is a will and good leadership, migration at sea can be restricted or even prevented.”
Talks will continue in the afternoon, focusing on economic cooperation, Orbán said, adding that such cooperation was a Hungarian priority.
Hungary’s Eximbank has opened a separate chapter to ensure that “Hungary not only exports goods but sets up factories in Egypt”. Such businesses could offer jobs to local youth, while Hungary could also contribute to European efforts aimed at stabilising the Egyptian economy in the long run, he added.
Orbán also said that
the Egyptian president’s visit was an honour, adding that “ties are friendly and brotherly”.
There are no open issues between Hungary and Egypt and the two countries “benefit a lot from good bilateral ties especially in terms of the economy”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after meeting his Egyptian counterpart in Budapest on Monday.
Read alsoEgypt’s foreign minister meets with V4 countries counterparts
Egypt’s foreign minister meets with V4 countries counterparts
Stemming the waves of illegal migration requires external allies such as Egypt, an “extremely important partner”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said after talks with his Visegrad counterparts and the foreign minister of Egypt in Budapest on Monday.
According to a foreign ministry statement, Szijjártó said Europe had been under constant pressure from migration since 2015.
The minister insisted that the Visegrad Group countries had cooperated and thwarted plans to introduce migrant quotas in Europe, adding that “had we not succeeded, thousands or even tens of thousands of illegal migrants would now be living in our countries”. Close cooperation is still needed, he said, adding that “one mistake is being made after another” on the international stage and “irresponsible remarks are threatening even greater migration waves.”
Referring to a potential 4 million refugees leaving Afghanistan, Szijjártó said:
“We now hear proposals that those migrants will have to be redistributed.” He added that Europe was now facing migration pressure from the East, too, at Poland’s borders.
Concerning Egypt, Szijjártó said the country had proven that migration by sea could be stopped by shutting maritime borders and eliminating human smuggling rings. “It would be to good purpose if the EU changed its attitude towards Egypt accordingly. It would be good to turn down the volume of statements condemning Egypt, and it would be also good if the European development funds for Egypt in fact arrived,” Szijjártó said, adding:
“We will continue to rely on Egypt in the future”.
V4 countries will assess whether Egypt is being hindered by European sanctions in obtaining technologies that would make its border controls more effective, Szijjártó said.
The talks, attended by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Jakub Kulhanek of the Czecz Republic, Mariusz Blaszczak of Poland, and Slovak foreign affairs state secretary Martin Klus, were held in preparation for a V4-Egypt summit on Tuesday.
Blaszczak underlined the importance of protecting the external borders of the EU in Poland.
Illegal migration and terrorism pose serious threats, he said, adding that responsible governments must do everything to protect their citizens.
Shoukry also underlined the importance of efforts against illegal migration. Egypt currently accommodates between 5.5-6 million immigrants and needs assistance from the international community, he said. Egypt is making great efforts to fight extremist ideologies, he added.
Read alsoA Hungarian woman gave 4-10 EUR per month to a starving Congolese man: now he has a store chain!
Hungarian official: Visegrád is the symbol of democratic intl cooperation
Visegrád is a symbol of democratic international cooperation between equal partners which Hungary has held important over many centuries, an official of the Human Resources Ministry said on Sunday, greeting a bureau meeting of the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
State secretary in charge of European Union development policy Eszter Vitályos said Visegrád Group cooperation was a mark of joining forces and sharing a common past.
The members are linked not only by a common past and the River Danube but also by the nationalities that live in the area, she added.
Finance minister: Visegrád countries poised to be Europe’s engines of growth again
The role of local authorities in the green economy will get special attention at the two-day meeting starting on Monday and Hungary is one of the main advocates of developing a green economy, she said.
President of the Chamber of Local Authorities Bernd Voehringer said that relations with the Hungarian delegation were excellent and the fact that the meeting was held in Visegrád was a strong sign from the Hungarian presidency.
Hungary fulfils the presidency of the CoE Council of Ministers between May 21 and November 17.
Read alsoVisegrád Group Held First Joint V4 Defence Ministerial Meeting in Erdőbénye
Visegrád Group Held First Joint V4 Defence Ministerial Meeting in Erdőbénye
Defence ministers and deputy ministers of Visegrád Group countries held the first joint V4 defence ministerial meeting in Erdőbénye, in northeastern Hungary, on Friday to discuss military and defence policy issues, the challenges of hybrid warfare and planned cooperation in military health care.
Hungary’s Tibor Benkő told a press conference after the meeting that the defence ministerial programme for Hungary’s V4 presidency had been discussed and action plans had been approved for coordinating various procedures.
The importance of national defence capabilities was discussed with Slovak counterpart Jaroslav Nad, Polish deputy minister Wojciech Skurkiewicz and Czech deputy minister Jan Havranek, he said.
The strength of the defence system rests on nation states and national army development programmes are also built on them, he added.
Each country pays special attention to hybrid warfare, including cyber operations, and there was consensus about the importance of maintaining a system of reservists, he said.
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The Hungarian, Slovak, Czech and Polish delegations reviewed the experiences to be drawn from the Afghanistan mission and each of the four countries stated that they paid special attention to participation in African missions, such as the Takuba operations. The sides were also in agreement about the importance of maintaining peace in the Western Balkans which is also a priority for Hungary, he added.
Nad said the past 18 months revealed the importance of the army’s medical efforts and thanked Benkő for Hungary’s sending experts to Slovakia.
Havranek said the meeting confirmed that V4 cooperation was working well and while the V4’s joint efforts aim to promote an independent Europe, the participants do not want to weaken transatlantic ties either.