“Norway is an extremely important partner to Hungary in defence policy and energy cooperation”, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó declared in Budapest on Friday following talks with Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Söreide.

“Although we represent differing standpoints on certain issues, that does not rule out close cooperation on concrete issues. We continue to believe that relations must be based on mutual respect”, the Hungarian Minister said.

He highlighted the fact that Norway is a NATO ally.

“The Hungarian army’s military radio system is in the most part being procured from a Norwegian-owned company. Hungary is purchasing a further 860 pieces of radio equipment this year, meaning the internal communications of the Hungarian Defence Force will be based on a total of 4600 such radios. In addition, 20 Norwegian soldiers are serving in Pápa, where a unit made up of soldiers from 12 nations that provides a high-performance air transport capability is stationed”, he listed.

Mr. Szijjártó underlined that Hungary supports Norway’s membership of the UN Security Council for the 2021-22 period.

“Negotiations are ongoing with the Norwegian pilot training academy on beginning the training of 200 cadets-a-year at air bases in Eastern Hungary. The required financial and property purchasing negotiations have reached their final phase”, he noted.

The Foreign Minister told the press that one of Hungarian energy company MOL’s most important exploration areas is the North Sea off the coast of Norway. “The company has been present on Norwegian sea fields since 2015, and has doubled its capacity there during that time. In future, the company plans to invest over one hundred million dollars”, he noted.

“As the European Union’s second largest provider of natural gas, Norway could also be considered with relation to energy diversification, but cooperation within this field is currently not possible because of the lack of infrastructure, since there is no gas interconnection between Slovakia and Poland”, he added.

The parties also discussed migration, Mr. Szijjártó stated, explaining that it is also true with relation to this issue that the two countries share the same approach on certain issues, and differing approaches on others. “We also agree on the importance of on-site development programmes. The Hungarian Government believes that assistance must be taken to where the trouble is”, he said, mentioning the Hungary Helps Program.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade declared that negotiations on the Norwegian Civil Support Fund must continue.

The situation of the Hungarian higher education was also mentioned, Mr. Szijjártó said, explaining that he had told his Norwegian counterpart that educational and academic freedom is assured in Hungary, and that the law applies equally to everyone. “Not even the application of pressure from abroad can be cause for a party to not have to abide by the law”, he emphasised.

Ine Marie Eriksen Söreide said the two countries share the same position on security cooperation: now that the security situation in Europe has worsened, it is important to reform NATO and make it strong.

She said Norway is extremely interested in what is happening in Europe: although they are not members of the EU, the continent is also theirs, and accordingly they regard its development as important.

The Norwegian Minister mentioned that she had visited the CEU, explaining that she wanted to understand both parties, and so in addition to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, she had also wanted to speak to the university’s rector. She will also be meeting with representatives of social organisations, she added.

Ms. Eriksen Söreide also said that Hungary is regularly visited by many Norwegian tourists.

The parties discussed how they could help religious minorities that are in danger, for instance in the Middle East, said the Minister, calling it dangerous that religious freedoms are being reduced in many countries.

The Norwegian Minister also confirmed that the two countries do not agree on certain issues relating to migration. Norway signed the UN Global Compact for Migration, she pointed out.

(MTI)