“Hungary was one of the first to call for the development and reinforcement of a joint European military force, and Germany could play an important role in this”, The Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister’s Parliamentary State Secretary, Csaba Dömötör said.

Following the meeting between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, the State Secretary told reporters that the talks had been friendly and open, and successful with respect to the expansion of economic cooperation.

“Cooperation could be raised to a new level in two areas: innovation and defence policy. The parties still do not agree on migration, however”, he said.

“Hungary would like to take action against illegal immigration and does not believe that immigration represents an opportunity for Europe, including in an economic sense, but in contrast Germany continues to insist on its position according to which immigration represents an opportunity in an economic sense because, for instance, it could help solve labour shortages”, Mr. Dömötör explained.

According to the State Secretary, a “major legal dispute” is in development with relation to the question of what country illegal immigrants should be sent back to. “Hungary’s position is that they should be sent to Greece, but the greatest help would be if they could make a living in their home countries”, Mr Dömötör said.

(Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister/MTI)