Following a meeting of EU foreign ministers and ministers for EU affairs in Brussels on Tuesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said that the stability of Turkey is a prerequisite for the security of Europe. Therefore, he said, any irrational step which could undermine this stability or which might lead to a loosening of the relationship between the EU and Turkey is to be avoided.

Regarding an Austrian proposal urging suspension of Turkey’s EU accession negotiations, the Minister said that since the EU-Turkey migration deal has in large part put Europe’s security in the hands of Ankara, anything which might undermine the stability of Turkey would harm the continent.

At a press conference after the meeting, Mr. Szijjártó underlined the importance of maintaining dialogue and the tightest possible cooperation with Turkey, saying that ties with the country should not be cut. He added that account must also be taken of the fact that Turkey is a NATO member country and a strong ally of Europe in combating terrorism.

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He added that sudden decisions should be avoided, and respect and honour should be shown towards Turkey and the Turkish people; decisions based on emotions which might pose security risks to Europe should not be made.

Mr. Szijjártó added that the Austrian initiative was opposed by a number of countries at the Tuesday meeting of the General Affairs Council.

Western Balkan EU enlargement was also on the Council meeting agenda. In relation to this the Minister said that decelerating the process might weaken the EU, and this would stand in sharp opposition to the interests of the Government of Hungary, as “Hungary can only be strong in a strong European Union”.

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Mr. Szijjártó pointed out that isolation would be the worst possible response to challenges, and the enlargement process must be accelerated, because there is strength in numbers. Responding to a statement by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, which predicted no further EU enlargement in the next five years, the  Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade  described this as disappointing.

He said that security, economic and rational arguments favour acceleration of the integration process: tensions in the Western Balkan region are greater than earlier, and the fastest possible way of resolving these would be acceleration of integration. The Minister added that global political stakeholders are also competing for influence in the region.

(MTI/Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)