Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó called for the accession of Macedonia and Montenegro to NATO and an acceleration of the European integration process of the Western Balkans at meetings with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn on Tuesday in Brussels.
During discussion with Mr. Stoltenberg, Minister Szijjártó explained that Hungary is committed to Euro-Atlantic values and is continuing to increase its efforts to contribute to the achievement of NATO objectives.
The Minister informed the Secretary General that Hungary is dedicated to contributing to the Readiness Action Plan, and is backing the objective of strengthening both cooperation within NATO and transatlantic relations, adding that 632 Hungarians are currently serving in various NATO operations around the world.
The Minister also said there is a “large-scale development project underway with regard to Pápa Airport”. He noted that a 140-strong rifle company had been sent to Lithuania, and that next year Hungary was also ready to participate in securing the airspace of the Baltic States while, in cooperation with Italy, the Hungarian Air Force has already been protecting the airspace of Slovenia since October.
In accordance with the Government's decision, Hungary is expected to increase its defence spending to 1.4%, and “from then on, we will see what the performance of the Hungarian economy permits”, Péter Szijjártó said. Between 2015 and 2017, Hungary will also contribute USD 500,000 per year to the success of the new international mission in Afghanistan, he added.
"Moreover, they can also expect a contingent of 100 men, which may be increased to 130 depending on the operational requirements”, he noted. The Minister also pointed out that Hungarian participation in KFOR forces had been doubled.
Mr. Szijjártó also emphasised that the stability of the Western Balkans region was extremely important for the Hungarians.
"We know what it’s like when there’s instability in the Western Balkans”, he said. In his opinion, the stability of the Western Balkans could be best ensured through European and Euro-Atlantic perspectives, so Hungary will continue to support the earliest possible NATO accession of Macedonia and Montenegro and the improving of ties between Georgia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
Péter Szijjártó also noted that Hungary was committed to the protection of Christian communities all over the world.
This is also true for the fight against the Islamic State, which Hungary is supporting both through humanitarian aid and by offering munitions, he added.
During his meeting with Johannes Hahn, the Hungarian Minister claimed that acceleration of the European integration process could contribute significantly to restoring the competitiveness of the EU.
“We think that the perspective of European integration could play an important role with regard to stability in the Western Balkans”, he said. The Minister also said that he agreed with the EU Commissioner on the necessity of country-specific programmes in the Eastern Partnership. "There is no point in offering the same general programme for Moldova, Belarus and Azerbaijan. Obviously, no success story will ensue in this way and the Eastern Partnership will not be viable”, he said.
In reply to a question from the press regarding cooperation with Russia, Péter Szijjártó explained that Hungary had always made it clear that it sought pragmatic cooperation; however, irrespective of who commits it, all infringements of the international law must be rejected with suitable determination. The EU has always been able to count on Hungary as a loyal member state, he added.
"Accordingly, if the EU comes to a common decision, we will always remain loyal to it. Certain member states suffering damage as a result of such EU common decisions is a different matter, however, and we believe that assisting those who suffer higher-than-average damage in a situation like this is part of European solidarity”, Mr. Szijjártó explained, adding that suffering damage does not, however, exempt any country from being loyal to a common decision.
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
